Starless Sky
by flipstahhz
Summary: "Don't you think the city lights wash out the stars?" A boy had once asked her. That, itself, had been more than enough reason for Sora to refuse to return to Odaiba. Now that she's back, all Sora wants to do is jump on the next shinkansen back to Kyoto. [CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Topsy-Turvy]
1. Chapter One: Back To Odaiba

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter one

**_b_**_ack **t**o **o**daiba_

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"_Look_!"

Sora Takenouchi woke up with a start.

Letting out a feral yawn, she rubbed her eyes awake. The voice hadn't been directed at her, yet it had been loud and high-pitched enough to rouse her from her slight slumber. She stretched, curiously glancing at the seats in front, where she was certain the boy's voice had emitted from. From the small gap Sora noticed a small hand tug onto an adult's sleeve.

"Do you see it?"

"Of course." The boy's mother replied. "Isn't it big, Ryota-kun?"

Sora peered outside the window, wondering what had piqued the boy's interest. A dominant mountain boundlessly kissed the sky as billowing clouds encircled it, praising its grand existence.

While the little boy couldn't hold back his excitement, all Sora could do was withdraw a disheartened sigh. In fact, seeing the summit of Mount Fuji disconcerted her because that meant that she'd soon be in Tokyo. The thought of returning home nerved her. It had been over six years since she had unceremoniously packed her belongings and taken a _shinkansen_ to Kyoto.

Now it was the opposite; Sora was taking a step back into the big city.

"The next station will be Yokohama. Yokohama Station."

Like how she had been woken up by the younger boy, her neighbour stirred from the announcement. From the corner of her eye she could see the man drowsily lifting his head from the thick medical textbook he had mistaken for a pillow.

The man had boarded the train at Nagoya, a stop after hers. He had silently taken his assigned seat next to her, propping the plastic table down and arranging his heavy textbooks and notepad in an organised fashion. Sora had then observed him diligently place a square-sized portable clock onto the remaining space left on the table. It had been like the man had transformed the train into his own personal study.

She was shocked that somebody could _actually_ concentrate on the train.

While he had been pouring over his books, Sora had fallen asleep and she figured out that he had too. Perhaps he was human after all.

"This stop is Yokohama Station."

At the second announcement, a flicker of panic flashed over his face. As he was trying to sit straighter, his arm accidentally brushed onto the cup of cold black tea, which progressed to nastily seep through the pages of his textbook. Trying to salvage the pages with his shirt, it was too late as the diagram of the human heart had been disfigured to a darker shade of red, while the text surround it had transformed into splotches of unreadable ink.

"Typical, typical." He grumbled irritably, "Typical Jyou. This is _so _normal for you-"

Sora did not know if this was the man's way of cursing to himself, or if his name was_ actually_ Jyou.

Nevertheless, she dug through her purse and handed him a pale pink handkerchief.

With a bright smile she offered it to him. "Here."

"Thank you." The man looked at her with a small embarrassed smile, cheeks flushed as he bowed his head in gratitude.

He took the handkerchief from her and began to hastily dab his textbook and table dry.

When he returned the handkerchief, Sora spoke up, "That book must be very important to you."

"For a medical student, it is." He took off his glasses, thoughtlessly cleaning the lens out of habit.

"You're a student then."

The man placed his glasses back on, pushing the frame higher up the bridge of his nose. "I guess. I'm more like brushing over the terms I need to memorise."

"Wait...you've already read it?" She gaped, leering at the textbook which she estimated to be approximately six hundred pages.

He gave a sheepish nod. "I'm preparing myself. I have a placement at Tokyo University Hospital this semester so I want to be prepared for the worst they bombard me with. Better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"I guess," Sora said, uncertainly. She prided herself being a perfectionist, but it wasn't like she could study _every_ single detail about something. Even her attention span did not last that long.

"I'm Jyou Kido by the way." The man gave a small smile, formally holding out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Sora." She couldn't help but return a friendly smile. She was amused by Jyou's politeness. He was quite mature for his age. She met people around his age, but none of them had the good manners that he appeared to possess. She shook his hand. "Sora Takenouchi."

As they let go of each other's hands, Jyou's eyes fell on the boxes wrapped in floral patterned paper, visible from her half-open backpack.

He said, curiously, "Did you go on a holiday or something?"

"No." She explained, "I'm moving back to Tokyo. I thought some of my old friends would want some souvenirs."

"Oh, really?" Jyou said. "I'm moving to Tokyo as well. I've never left home so I'm anxious. Is the air polluted as they say? My allergies are really bad all year round. I need to take an anti-histamine almost every day."

"I'm probably not the best person to ask," Sora admitted, "I was practically a child when I left. All I was interested in was soccer and hanging out with my friends."

Jyou nodded. "At least you _have _friends to go back to. I have to start from scratch."

While Sora was struggling to grasp that she was going to be back in Tokyo, her worries suddenly didn't feel as bad as she thought when she compared herself to Jyou. She felt sorry for him. Leaving one's hometown to live somewhere unknown was nerve-racking. Of course, she had learnt from experience too – but at least she had a support network of old friends in Tokyo...whereas Jyou hadn't.

"Why don't you be my friend then?" Sora said, kindly.

She scratched her head, trying to remember the digits to her phone number, but Jyou was already presenting her his card. He was grinning. "So you'll be my first Tokyo friend?"

"Why not?" Sora beamed.

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At the station's entrance, Hikari Yagami vigorously waved.

"Hikari!" Sora ran up to her, dragging her suitcase behind her.

They hugged. Since Sora was an only child, she had always treated Hikari like her younger sister. To see how much she'd grown made her feel slightly sad. As much as she had taken a liking for Kyoto, she had missed her old friends dearly. Her friends were most likely the only positive thing about moving back to Odaiba.

She let go of Hikari, looking at her and grinning. "You've grown so much!"

Asides from the height difference, Hikari predominantly looked the same. Her light brown hair had remained short, with a pink pin clipping her fringe from falling over her eyes. Hikari adorned a white lanyard around her neck with a camera hanging from it, not like the silver whistle she had used to wear as a necklace. When Hikari was younger, instead of fancy doll, her most prized possession had been a silver whistle. Apparently it had been a present from her brother, Taichi, aka Sora's best friend had given to her.

Talking about Taichi...

"Where's Taichi?"

Sora had e-mailed Taichi the details when she'd arrive in Odaiba, so she hadn't expected that he would arrange for his sister to pick her up instead. In actuality, she hadn't expected anybody to walk her back to her old home. As spontaneous as Taichi could be, he sometimes was surprisingly thoughtful.

"Soccer camp. He'll be back on Sunday. It's Koushiro's birthday so there will be a party. He's invited you too."

Sora smiled. "And how's Koushiro?"

"Oh, you know how he is," Hikari laughed. "Eyes glued to the computer in strict scrutiny."

"I guess nothing really has changed," Sora grinned.

Hikari helped her with the suitcase as they ambled down the familiar streets.

It felt surreal.

She remembered the Family Mart in the corner where she'd buy candy with her pocket money. She walked past the narrow street where she had once saved Taichi from getting hit by a car (since he had been too focused on kicking his soccer ball). And, she knew, if she were to turn left and then right, she'd easily reach her mother's florist.

"How are you?" Hikari asked her, pulling her out of nostalgia.

Sora didn't know what to say, repeating the younger girl's question in her mind.

"I think I'm fine."

"You think you're fine?" The odd answer made Hikari look at her. "What do you mean?"

Even at a young age, Hikari had always had an uncanny perception. She tended to notice things other people didn't, which had often made Sora ponder whether she was actually older than Taichi.

"I'm sorry if I'm acting all awkward." Sora smiled. "You see, I haven't really been hanging out with anybody my age in Kyoto. Dad arranged for me to get homeschooled."

"No wonder you look like you've matured a lot," Hikari smirked. It was only when Hikari smirked that Sora thought she alarmingly resembled Taichi. "Then again, you never really spoke much about yourself."

Sora shrugged which earned a giggle from Hikari. In a sense, it was true. Sora just didn't find her life that interesting to talk about - or that she didn't really like talking about herself much.

After catching the elevator, they alighted at the seventeenth floor.

Sora didn't need to be directed where to go because, despite her absence, she found her body automatically leading her towards the correct direction. As she walked along the row of apartments, she spotted one particular apartment had pots of fresh red roses by the door. It was a dead giveaway. Only her mother did something like that.

Pressing the passcode in (which her mother had texted her the night before), the door unlocked. Sora pulled the door open and gestured for Hikari to go in first.

"I always loved how your house smells," Hikari said, taking off her shoes as she entered the apartment.

Sora rolled her eyes, already feeling her nose itch. If anything, she found the floral fragrance horrible. Over the past two years she had developed hay-fever. Instead of the scent of flowers being pleasant, Sora had found them to be more bothersome. She made note to discuss with her mother to tone down the smell.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Sora offered. Although she was still getting accustomed to the apartment, it was rude for her not to offer a drink to her first guest.

"Water please."

Sora made her way to the kitchen. It was like she was barging into a stranger's kitchen. After a few attempts, Sora found two glasses in one of the drawers. She filled the glasses to the brim, carefully handing Hikari one before taking a few sips from her own.

"Your mother's not home?" Hikari rested the glass on the table.

"She's working," Sora said. "I think she finishes at ten tonight."

"Really? What will you be doing now then?" Hikari questioned. "You've got quite a lot of hours to kill. It's only two."

"I was thinking about unpacking," Sora muttered.

Hikari tilted her head, eying the suitcase. "But you only have one suitcase."

"I didn't bring much." Sora replied, "I've arranged for my other belongings to be delivered here tomorrow. I might just watch a movie and spend the night in. Taking a nap sounds good too-"

"No! You can't do that!" Hikari shook her head, astonished. "Your first day back in Odaiba can't be like that! Taichi won't forgive me if I left you bored!"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "I think resting sounds like a great plan."

Hikari pouted, big eyes pleading. "Come on, Sora! Don't act like a middle-aged woman on me!"

The older teenager let out an exasperated sigh. The expression on Hikari's face made Sora feel guilty even though she knew that she wasn't wrong at all. Sora now knew why Hikari won most of her arguments with Taichi – Hikari knew how to pull off the cute card.

"Fine," Sora surrendered. "What did you have in mind?"

"Great!" Hikari beamed. "Basketball! Join me. I don't have anybody to go with-"

"Basketball?" Sora frowned. "I hope this doesn't involve me _playing_ basketball."

Hikari replied, "No, not way! I know basketball isn't your thing, so I wouldn't do that to you. I'm not that cruel."

"Then what has basketball got to do with this?"

"My best friend is playing against another school in an hour." Hikari asked, "Watch the game with me?"

"_Uh-_"

Hikari was already rolling Sora's suitcase into her bedroom. Yet another similarity, Sora realised, that Hikari had with her brother. They were both stubborn whenever their minds were set on something. It was their way or no way.

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She was on the edge of her seat.

Eyes wide, she watched the blond kid zoom around the court. He faked left, then lunged right. The basketball pattered against the floor in a coherent timely beat before it launched into the net.

"Yes!" Sora screamed, jumping up from her seat with the rest of the spectators.

Who knew basketball was such an exciting sport? Sora had always preferred soccer, but watching basketball proved to be just as entertaining.

It also helped that Hikari's best friend happened to be a _very_ good basketball player. He may not have been an expert at shooting hoops, but he was definitely the swiftest on the court. . One moment he'd be at the opposing team's side of the court, the other second he'll be stealing the basketball at his end of the court. His stealing strategies and skilled footwork was commendable. She wondered how the boy would fair if he were to play soccer.

"Get it, TJ!" The boy besides her screamed, bouncing up and down with energy.

"Daisuke, isn't his name 'TK'?" Sora asked, somewhat confused. She was certain that Hikari had she had told her 'TK', not 'TJ'.

"Same thing," Daisuke smirked.

Sora laughed. Hikari had introduced her to the younger boy half an hour ago, yet Sora had immediately grown fond of him. Daisuke reminded Sora of Taichi..._a lot. _He wore the same goggles that Taichi had once worn and, not to mention, Sora was certain he was yelling out penalties that only applied to soccer matches.

Hikari's best friend glanced at their direction and displaying sheepish grin, giving them two thumbs up before attacking the opposing team. From behind the camera's lens, Sora caught Hikari smiling with each snapshot she'd take.

Daisuke bellowed, "Go TP!"

"Shut up, Daisuke," Hikari giggled.

During the intermission, Sora decided to go for a quick toilet break. As she walked down the stairs, one hand held onto the railing while the other hand roamed through the text messages on her phone. She rolled her eyes when she saw one of the texts from Taichi.

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_Kari's told me ur bak home. Can't w8 to c u, Takenouchi! _

_Gotta go. Coach's been my bak and if he mite c me-kj,kjmdsa-_

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_Takenouchi? _She laughed. It was like Taichi to call her by her surname. That's how they addressed, or more like _yelled,_ to each other whenever they'd play their soccer matches in elementary.

As she was about to reply back, she walked into something. Startled, Sora looked up from her phone and gulped. That something happened to be a _someone._

"I'm _so _sorry!" Sora stammered, automatically apologising.

The person appeared roughly her age. He had a rugged image. Blond hair dishevelled, a leather jacket and torn denim jeans. He screamed danger and wasn't a person that looked approachable. It didn't help that he wore a sour scowl on his face, and that he leered at her incomprehensibly through his dark blue narrow eyes.

A wave of embarrassment fell over her. Although she had unintentionally walked into him, his mere gaze alone made her feel like that she was at fault. He intimidated her and the more he was in her presence, the more uncomfortable Sora felt.

With one last look at her, the stranger brushed past her, exiting the gymnasium.

"What the hell was that?" Sora muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. With the boy gone, she felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off her shoulders. "I did say sorry. It's not like I wanted to walk into him."

She followed the boy's trail, going outside of the gymnasium and heading the opposite direction into the female lavatories.

Stuck in the cubicle, Sora was overwhelmed by a pair of girls gossiping by the faucets.

A high-pitched voice gushed, "Isn't he dreamy?"

"Who? Takeru?"

"No! His brother! Did you see him? He's _so _hot. Apparently he's in a band."

"So what? I reckon Takeru looks much better. He's so cute!"

After the voices vanished, Sora let out a sigh of relief.

She left the cubicle and ran the tap over her hands. She anxiously looked at her reflection in the mirror, gulping nervously. Her heart suddenly raced faster. She closed her eyes, trying to block everything around her as she willed herself to calm down. Tidying up her hair, she applied a light gloss over her lips and took a deep breath.

It had been a long time since she had been surrounded by so many people. And, not to mention, talking to this many people. She was used to buying things at the local grocer and then going home. She only spoke to her father, grandmother and private tutor. Other than that, she had forgotten how it was like to converse with other people. Coming back to Tokyo had been a mistake. However, nothing could be prevented. She had to return.

Nevertheless, all the exposure made her feel dizzy.

Splashing her face with some water, she tightly squeezed her eyes shut before gazing up at herself again.

_It'll be fine..._

Striding past the men's toilets, she saw the same boy she had walked into earlier, fall step behind her. She hurriedly walked on, not wanting to catch the boy's gaze again.

"I can't today. I've got something on-"

It was irritating that the boy could talk on the phone, but he hadn't even put effort into replying to her when she had apologised.

When she saw the same girls in the toilets earlier, lingering by the gymnasium door, Sora frowned. Were girls her age usually _this _annoying?

She pushed the door open, allowing it to gape wide for the boy enter behind her. Although she was irked at the boy's lack of manners, it didn't mean she'd have to stoop to his level too. However, after a few seconds, she didn't feel him hold onto the door.

Bemused, she looked behind her and, instead, watched his tall figure wordlessly walk away.

_Jerk._

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**(a/n) **Save me. This wasn't meant to happen. Oh hell.

/not edited


	2. Chapter Two: Koushiro's Birthday

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter two

_**k**oushiro's** b**irthday_

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As much as Sora loved to deny it, her mother's cooking was delicious.

Despite the two disagreeing on numerous things, Sora could never disregard her mother's talented culinary skills. Her mother knew how to whip up anything from left over ingredients, when to add the right amount of spice and even the art of how to transform tasteless food into mouth-watering meals. Sora was certain that if her mother wasn't a florist, she would be a professional chef.

However, no matter how delicious her mother's current curry rice was, Sora knew that there was nothing she could do to alleviate the awkwardness that overwhelmed their dining table. It was to be expected. She hadn't expected that their reunion was going to be all rainbows and butterflies. Sora wasn't blind and she wasn't sure whether her relationship with her mother would be reconcilable.

The day Sora had arrived to Tokyo, her mother had walked in past eleven at night. Her mother had merely greeted her, re-orientating Sora to the apartment. The day after, Sora's mother had gone to work and had left 3,000 yen on the counter with a scribbled note for her to use the money wisely on school supplies. Sora had taken it with stride, persevering on as she bought the stationary she needed and familiarised herself with the neighbourhood once again.

It was now Sora's third day after leaving Kyoto: A Sunday. In other words, it was her mother's day off. The two of them had done well avoiding each other and only had talked to each other when needed. However, it was inevitable that they were bound to cross paths at some point.

Defeated, Sora stabbed at the carrot piece with her fork with her eyes fixated on her plate. She refused to look upwards because she could feel her mother's gaze, and meeting her gaze naturally made her feel more apprehensive.

Sora had stayed holed inside her bedroom for breakfast and lunch. During dinner she thought it would be a good idea to put at least _some _effort. When her mother had announced dinner was ready, Sora had timidly appeared at the dining table.

And it was then that her mother decided to break the awkward silence. "Sora, I want to introduce you to somebody. Are you free Wednesday night?"

Sora nodded. Of course she'd be free – she was a student after all. It wasn't like she had a schedule or was planning to sign up for extra-curricular activities.

"I've been wanting you to meet him."

It had been more than obvious that her mother was seeing or dating a new man. Sora had sensed traces of a male's presence in the apartment from the masculine scent, to the more obvious clues like the extra large shirts folded and placed inside the bottom of her bedside drawer, to the beanies and caps kept tidily besides the wooden shoe closet.

Sora gave a wry smile. Yes, it was always about her mother. It was like her to use words to cunningly force somebody to do her biddings without them even knowing.

She resorted to quietly draining the rest of the water from her glass. Although Sora wasn't thirsty, she felt like she had to finish it because her throat had suddenly felt dry. Sora pushed the plate forward, no longer having an appetite. Then again, she had lost her appetite a while ago.

Curiosity now got the best of her. She finally lifted her gaze and saw that her mother was _still_ gazing at her. Sora noticed the way her mother bit her bottom lip, a gesture that even she had inherited from her mother whenever she was nervous. Sora was not a fool, she knew her mother was waiting for her to react.

"How long now?" Sora, at long last, asked her.

Her mother paused for a moment, before stammering, "A year."

"Oh," Sora replied.

Not knowing what else to say, she broke their eye contact, shovelling a spoonful of rice into her mouth. Sora noticed that had one last piece of chicken to eat, which also meant that she could flee into her bedroom anytime soon. What else was she meant to say? Her mother could live her life however she wanted, as long as she left her alone too.

_Ring. Rinngggg!_

"I'll get it!"

Sora jumped eagerly out of her seat, willing to use any pretext to her advantage to escape. Without waiting for her mother to respond, Sora hurried towards the door and pushed it open. Before she could register who the person was, a stranger pounced on her, causing her legs to give way.

Sora blinked her eyes, trying to make sense of the person who had toppled over her. She saw an unruly bush of chestnut brown hair, smelt a mixture of grass and sweat and, from the muddy shorts and polo shirt, it was a clear give away who the newcomer was.

"_Taichi_!"

For the first time, in a long time, Sora laughed..._hard_.

She felt his hands encircle around her waist, hugging her as their bodies rolled back and forth on the floor, almost crashing against the wall. Her sides hurt from laughing and she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks to finally see her childhood friend again.

A moment later, Taichi jumped back onto his feet. He bent down, offering her a hand, which she took. She smiled as he pulled her back into a standing position before he gave her another brief hug.

"Well, well, well! Haven't you grown, Takenouchi?" She felt his eyes slowly survey her, first from her feet and it was when Sora caught his eyes traveling upwards to chest-level, she non-hesitantly scowled and kicked him behind the legs. He doubled over, chuckling, "And you still kick like a girl."

"That's because I _am_ a girl." She corrected him, rolling her eyes, vainly trying to disguise a smile, but failing immensely. "How have you been, Yagami?"

She hadn't seen Taichi for a good six years. No longer was he the kid in kindergarden she had taunted for being a centimetre shorter than she was. He was taller – much, much taller. His voice was lower and she could see that his toned body was of an athlete. Asides from the height difference, Taichi's disheveled brown hair and warms eyes remained the same. His appearance may have matured, but from the way he had tackled her onto the ground proved otherwise.

Taichi would always be Taichi.

"Who is it, Sora?" Her mother joined them, evidently having heard the ruckus. When she saw Taichi there, she gave a soft simper. His charming, yet mischievous attitude, was infectious. There was something about Sora's old friend that made people, even like her mother, smile. "What brings your here, Taichi?"

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Yokoyama." Taichi bowed lower than usual as he politely greeted the older woman. "I thought of escorting Sora out tonight."

"Escorting her out to where, exactly?"

Her mother's eyes narrowed slightly, but it was enough for Sora to notice. Even the decibel in her tone had lowered, something that tended to occur whenever her mother would get irritated. It may have been years since she had physically seen her mother, but Sora vividly remembered whenever she opposed of something.

Sora crossed her fingers, behind her back, hoping that Taichi's smooth-talking could save them.

"Didn't she tell you?" Taichi started, as if he had read Sora's mind. "It's Koushiro's birthday.. We thought it would be a good idea to merge his party with Sora coming back-"

"Koushiro?" Her mother exhaled. "Oh, that's fine then."

From the mention of Koushiro's name, her mother had silently granted Sora permission in a heartbeat. While Taichi had the charms, Koushiro was the golden kid that every parent praised and strived for their own children to be like.

Her mother continued, "I wouldn't even have thought Koushiro would want to have a party. Wasn't it last year he asked his mother to send him to computer camp instead-"

"Yes, that's him!" Taichi exclaimed. "Boring as..."

Sora stepped in his foot. She didn't want Taichi rambling on any longer because she didn't want her mother having second thoughts about her going to Koushiro's party.

"I'll get my coat," Sora said curtly, excusing herself.

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What was meant to be a few people, turned out to be over twenty.

Sora had been at the party from the beginning, assisting Taichi bringing the crates of alcohol into Koushiro's apartment. At first, she had objected to Taichi's scheme telling him that they shouldn't since they obviously weren't of legal age, but after Taichi's words of convincing persuasion Sora found herself sucked in, helping the troublemaker instead. Taichi always found a way to talk her into doing something she didn't like. Sora remembered that, because of this, they had gotten in trouble countless of times.

"Think of it as our present to Koushiro. I _did _tell him that I'd be in charge of the beverages. Sor, there's nothing to worry about because his parents are out of town! Besides, a little alcohol couldn't hurt anybody." Taichi reasoned out before she could scold him. "Stop being old-fashioned!"

Sora scrunched her nose when she swigged another mouthful of beer from the can she had been holding for the past hour. It was warm and the taste of it made her frown. It wasn't like she was new to liquor. She had shared a few glasses of sake with her father in the past, but beer was a new thing to her – and something she wasn't that all too fond of.

She had no idea how Taichi had gotten his hands on the alcohol, and she wasn't keen to ask. There was no point convincing Taichi that what they were doing was wrong because he wasn't going to back down. Unfortunately, that part of his personality hadn't changed either.

What bothered Sora more was how Taichi seemed fine that Hikari was drinking too.

_Was this a normal thing in the city? Isn't Hikari too young?_ _This is wrong!_

No matter how Sora tried to let it slide, she couldn't get her conscience around it. The fact that teenagers were drinking alcohol at a unsupervised party made her anxiety levels increase.

Or perhaps Taichi was right? Perhaps she was old-fashioned...

Not wanting to spoil the mood, Sora chose to passively fade into the vibe around her. As time went by, Sora observed how everybody had gradually began to speak louder in slurred speech, drank more excessively (much to her displeasure), and even struggled to walk in straight lines. The more Sora stayed there, the more she felt out of place.

It wasn't that she had nobody to talk with. Despite Taichi ditching her for his soccer friends, Sora had easily been drawn into Hikari's small group of friends. They were the youngest there, but at least Sora had already met Daisuke and had a vague idea of Takeru from the previous basketball game.

"So tell me, Sora," Takeru said, grinning cheekily. The group had been preoccupied talking about people she didn't know that Sora hadn't anticipated the young athlete to suddenly target her.

Takeru wriggled forward on his seat, palms resting on his knees with bright blue eyes. In absolute seriousness, he spoke up, "Was Taichi still an idiot when he was younger?"

"Always," Sora played along, smirking.

Hikari swatted Takeru on the head, which made him chortle in laughter. "That's my brother you're talking about."

"Hey, don't hit only me! Sora agreed too. Admit it, Kari, you know how idiotic he can be-"

"I know he is, but I don't need you to reconfirm it to the world," Hikari grumbled.

As the two continued to bicker, a finger poked lightly at Sora's ribs. She glanced next to her and Daisuke gave her an impish grin. In a lowered voice, he spoke, "Don't mind them, Sora. They always fight like a married couple."

Sora smiled, agreeing, as she watched Takeru and Hikari continue to argue. If anything, she sensed something more than friendship between the two. Daisuke caught her gaze and gave a knowing nod, which made her giggle quietly.

"What's so funny?"

She looked up and saw that Koushiro had reappeared. Like Taichi, puberty had given him a growth spurt. At seventeen, he was slightly lanky, red hair more manageable and less scruffy, and his skin paled in contrast to Taichi's golden tan. Koushiro had always been an indoor person, preferring to spend more time behind a computer screen than stepping into the sunlight. In fact, it had been easier to keep in contact with Koushiro than Taichi with his efficient e-mails and giving her updates of the happenings in Odaiba.

"Nothing," Sora brushed off. Grinning, she patted besides her and Koushiro took her invitation, slumping onto the sofa on her right. "It's your birthday, you know? Where did you go off to, Izzy?"

He stifled a yawn. "I was in my bedroom. Had to fix up some of the coding. The deadline is tomorrow and I promised my client that I'd get it done on time."

"You have clients?" Sora gaped.

"Yeah," Koushiro mumbled offhandedly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "It's a part-time job I've got going on at the moment. It helps me buy new games and the teachers have told me that it will look remarkable on my college applications."

Koushiro's maturity and intelligence had always been a step ahead for his age. Both she and Taichi would often playfully tease their friend, but whenever other people bullied or badmouthed Koushiro, Taichi would start fistfights and Sora would bark vicious words to protect him. They were an odd trio, which somehow had made them even more inseparable.

The celebrant lounged back onto the sofa, propping a arm around Sora's shoulder as he drank from his bottle of beer. He glanced at the other people surrounding them, speaking to nobody in particular, "Is Yamato late again?"

The name had come up more than a few times that night. Sora didn't know who the person was, but she hadn't failed to hear the name being brought up once in a while in many conversations. Whoever this person was, Sora had a fair understanding that he must have been a regular during their friendly gatherings and parties.

"He's at a gig," Hikari replied. "Yamato told Tai that he'd be here after the last song."

"He'd better. He promised me manga."

Takeru added, "He'll make it though."

"I know he will," Koushiro replied, finally satisfied. When Koushiro finished his beer, Sora watched as he was about to clear up the coffee table.

Sora stopped the celebrant, telling him off. She took on the task instead, carrying an armful of empty cans and bottles into the recycling bins in the kitchen. She had tried to be discreet, pretending to use cleaning up as an excuse to fetch herself some water.

The alcohol had made her face hot, yet she didn't feel drunk at all. Was it because she was uncomfortable around everybody? Was she embarrassed? Perhaps it was a combination of alcohol and being over-exposed to many people?

Her thoughts kept pestering her. She was about to turn on her heels to go back to the others, but she hesitated midway. She was suddenly tempted to get out of there. She _wanted_ to get out of there. The air felt stuffy and it was a struggle to breathe. Sora let out a gasp of relief when she spotted the open balcony. She found her feet leading her outside before she had even decided.

The frosty air cooled her down.

She closed the door behind her, finding a seat and placing the glass of water on the balcony's ledge.

Although she preferred Kyoto's scenery, she couldn't condemn Odaiba's breathtaking scenery at night. Koushiro's apartment was set in the prefect location, overlooking the Rainbow Bridge. The sparkling city lights glittered, reflecting onto Tokyo Bay, the gigantic ferris wheel turned slowly and the starless sky made her feel empty, like she was missing something.

She wondered how her father was coping without her. Her father hasn't contacted her ever since the move. She understood he was overseas, but she missed him. Even a text message would have been nice...

Coincidentally, a new message alert sounded. Excited, she pulled the phone out from her coat's pocket, only to realise that it hadn't been from her father.

_I start tomorrow. I don't know if I'll cope with Tokyo. I'm doomed. I can't even navigate myself to the closest train station. It's so busy. How are you fairing?Do you feel as hopeless as I do? Tell me I'm not the only one who is fretting like I'm going through a midlife crisis..._

At least Jyou felt the same.

She had exchanged a few texts with him ever since they had saved each other's numbers on the train. It felt comforting knowing that she wasn't the only one experiencing change.

Just as she was about to text the medical student back, she heard the door slide open.

Turning around, Sora half expected the person to be either Taichi or Koushiro trying to drag her back inside. Unfortunately, for her, she observed the person to be the same rude boy who she had briefly seen at the basketball game.

He narrowed his eyes, but when he realised it was her he gave hint of acknowledgement with a small nod. She watched as he was about to light his cigarette with a lighter, but paused midway.

There was a clear scowl on his face, but he still chose to address her, "Do you mind if I..."

"Smoke?"

"Yeah."

She had waited for him to snap at her, but he had instead asked her for permission. It wasn't like she could stop him anyway. At least the guy was being courteous. Sora shrugged, not wanting to hold a grudge against him from their first encounter.

"Go ahead."

She wasn't all too pleased about smokers or the thought of smoking, but if Sora had tolerated drinking and sneaking alcohol into Koushiro's apartment that night...what right did she have to tell a stranger off for underage smoking?

Sora heard the click of the lighter and soon she could smell the scent of tobacco combining with the cold air as it drifted uninvitedly to her direction.

_Was she meant to say something?_

She shook her head to herself at the thought. No way. Besides, she _couldn't_ do it. She wasn't the type to do small talk – that, and the fact she didn't know _how_ to.

Sora looked dumbly down at her phone, but she had forgotten the words she was going to reply to Jyou. It was impossible when she could feel the guy looking at her from the corner of her eye.

Or was he looking at the scenery?

She didn't know.

Sighing, she stared at him and realised that he wasn't looking at her, but at the scenery. He looked reserved, deep in thought as his pensive blue eyes gazed over Tokyo Bay and into the black horizon. For some reason she felt like she wanted to know what he was brooding about, what ticked in that mind of his as he leered into the blurry night.

She cast her gaze away, hoping that she hadn't been caught staring too long.

Sora shivered, only then sensing that the cold air had transformed into a chilly breeze. She pulled her coat tighter around her body, glad that she did something right when she had picked it out of her wardrobe. Under her grey coat, Sora had settled for a white sweater, comfortable black jeans and a pair of black runner. All night Sora had felt underdressed compared to the other females at the party (even Hikari had worn a dress!), but now she was grateful for her casualness.

She, too, gazed at the scenery. It felt odd that being outside, with the stranger, felt more calmer than being inside in the over-stimulated environment.

Minutes passed as they quietly watched the city before them. When Sora began to look for stars, she heard the guy stomp out his cigarette. He took his leave, closing the sliding door behind him.

Before Sora could let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she was finally by herself, her self-reassurance shattered when the door slid open again.

He had returned, head sticking out from behind the door. "Shouldn't you be going in? The drizzle is getting heavier."

"I-I," Sora stuttered, cheeks turning pink as she wiped the mist from her face. She had been deep in thought that she mustn't had noticed the dampness of her hair and how subtly the rain drops had kissed her skin. "Thanks."

"Anyway, Koushiro's about to blow the cake." He muttered, "I'm sure he wouldn't want you to miss it, Sora."

She blinked, surprised. _How did he know her name?_

His phone started ringing. He answered the phone, a scowl appearing on his features once again. One hand rested on the door's frame, the other hand pressed the phone to the side of his face.

He hissed, "What now, Akira? Didn't I tell you that I'm busy tonight? This had better be an emergency-"

Although the blond headed boy was speaking on the phone, his eyes held onto hers as he gestured for to get inside and away from the impending miserable weather. Sora quickly got out of her chair, ducking under his arm as he closed the sliding door behind her. In the process, she had felt the drizzle of water turn into larger droplets of rain. If he hadn't warned her, she would have been drenched.

Heat and the loudness greeted her.

If anything, the stranger had been correct about Koushiro blowing the cake.

All the guests were circled around the dining table, singing '_Happy Birthday_' to the celebrant. It didn't help that Taichi had climbed onto the table, waving his hands in the air as he orchestrated the choir off drunken off-key riot of voices with a pair of chopsticks.

Sora grinned. She couldn't help but wonder what the stranger had thought about the whole scenario, and the mess that would unfold later too. As she craned her neck to glimpse him, she was startled when she noted the stranger had went the opposite direction.

Across the room, Sora could see him lacing on his shoes and shrugging on a leather jacket. As he grasped and was about to turn down the doorknob, he cast one final glance at everybody at the party – until he realised that she was staring directly at him.

Instead of eying her off, he pointed at something resting on the coffee table. She followed his gaze and noticed a bundle of, what looked like, coloured pieces of paper all bunched together with a scarlet ribbon and bow. Sora quickly strode towards the table and hovered over the bundle of papers to realise that it was stack of manga –_ One Piece_ to be exact. She laughed out loud, eyes searching for the stranger who now was pointing repeatedly from the bundle of manga to the person behind the cake.

It was clear as day that it was the stranger's gift to Koushiro. She gave the blond boy the thumbs up, understanding her mission.

With a small nod and a hint of a smile, he was gone.

.

.

* * *

last edited: 16/05/15.

**(a/n) **There are bounds to be mistakes here and there. I'll fix 'em up later. I wanted to make sure this chapter was posted up before Digimon Tri aired. I was honestly surprised by the reviews in the previous chapter.

Heck, it still surprises me that this fandom continues to be very much alive. :) Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three: Tour With The Foreigner

**.**

**.**

**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter three

_**t**our **w**ith **t**he **f**oreigner_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

She raised her head after a short bow.

"Thank you, Sora. You may take a seat now."

Mr. Masaki had insisted the standard routine for newcomers was for them to make an introductory speech in front of the class. She had been a stuttering mess. If Sora had been prepared earlier, she would have been less likely to make a fool out of herself. As she had stood there and talked about herself, Sora felt like she was going through an interrogation with her being the subject person on trial.

With a curt nod, she tucked the strands of her auburn hair behind her ear, abruptly making her way down the aisle of chairs and desks. Her throat was parched. As she found her way towards her seat, she could feel eyes gawking and surveying her every movement. Her movements were then followed by whispers amongst her peers.

_'From Kyoto, eh? She looks boring'. 'She was at Koushiro's party and was talking to Taichi.' 'Don't tell me she's already flirted with him?' 'Homeschooled all this time? She must be spoiled.' 'I wish she was a hot chick! I heard the other new girl is quite the looker.' 'Is she wearing her grandmother's skirt? How unstylish!'_

She wasn't offended by them, more maddened by the fact that the students had been quick to judge her before getting to know her first.

Was this a common thing in the city for people to be _this_ rude?

Sora grumpily threw her books onto the desk and immediately regretted it because she hadn't thought of the sound it would make. Fortunately, when she had thrown her books, the door had simultaneously slammed shut, disguising the sound she had made.

"Taichi and Yamato. Late again?" Mr. Masaki glared. "First day back from the break and you're both-"

"Forgive me sir," Taichi lowered his head, exasperatingly low. "For my alarm clock ran out of batteries."

"Get a mobile phone then," Yamato grumbled, folding his arms. He looked as equally irritated as their teacher.

Sora couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried she wouldn't be in Taichi's class. At least she had _someone_. She wouldn't have to struggle on her own.

Her eyes fell onto Yamato. She had seen him more than once. After their brief interaction at Koushiro's birthday, she had guessed his name. Sora could officially say that Yamato was his name now because Mr. Masaki had just confirmed her assumption.

Yamato hurriedly took a seat, coincidentally happening to be next to hers. As he bent down, shuffling through his backpack to grab the appropriate stationary, he glanced over to her. Sora thought twice before returning his stare, and when she did Yamato gave her a silent nod in greeting.

She was about to smile back, but Mr. Masaki's booming voice stopped her from doing so.

Mr. Masaki snapped, "And what's your excuse, Yamato? Don't tell me you had band practice before school-"

"Can't we get started already?" Yamato mumbled.

She heard Taichi sniggering in the background, probably excited that Yamato was going to get into even more trouble. Yamato gazed up and found that the teacher had directly stood in front of his desk and was waiting for the appropriate answer. "I'm waiting."

Yamato sighed, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I would very much like to know. We don't have all day, Yamato." The teacher growled. "And it's _Mr. Masaki_ to you."

"Fine. _Mr. Masaki_," Yamato emphasised back, coldly. "I had to go to Taichi's place to wake him up."

The class laughed. Sora didn't find it that funny, but it made sense when she saw that the girls in the class were all shiftily eying the newcomers with particular interest. Both boys were unquestionably good-looking, with one being in popular band and the other being the star athlete in the soccer team.

"And you think I'll believe that?"

"I'm not saying you have to," Yamato shrugged. "It's Taichi that's the problem. If I hadn't woken him up, he might have only woken up in the afternoon and attended the last period."

Yamato could have been lying, yet his irritated voice seemed real enough for Sora to know that he wasn't acting. Besides, Sora knew Taichi as well, and how annoying he could get. When she was younger she had issues waking up the sleepyhead too. Hikari, Taichi's parents, Koushiro and herself had the shared responsibility of waking him up. This meant that Yamato was not just a mere acquaintance, but somebody Taichi considered a close friend.

"I commend your friendship, but it is still unacceptable." Their teacher frowned. "Even if Taichi is the problem-"

"I'm not a problem!" Taichi glared.

Yamato argued, "If you had slept earlier last night then maybe you would have-"

"ENOUGH!" The teacher snapped.

Sora gave a slight smile. They were close friends, alright.

.

* * *

.

As soon as the alarm rang, Taichi was pulled out by two boys out of the classroom.

Sora's questioning gaze met Yamato.

"He's captain and they've got a soccer meeting."

"I see," Sora answered, packing up her belongings. Underneath her breath she muttered, "Who would have thought that he'd become captain?"

She stopped when she heard Yamato laugh.

Sora hadn't expected Yamato to still be there. She felt embarrassed that he had heard her badmouth Taichi, especially when she wasn't all that familiar with her classmate. She bit her bottom lip, wishing she could also wipe the redness away from her cheeks. "I didn't mean that…"

"Sure," Yamato replied, but there was still laughter sparkling in his light blue eyes. Sora noticed that he now had slung his bag over his shoulder, but hadn't made his way to the exit. He spoke up again, "Do you want to get going now?"

"You're waiting for me?" Sora repeated, bemused.

"Yeah." He elaborated, "Mr. Masaki wanted Taichi and I to show you around as our punishment for being late..."

"Thanks," Sora said.

"Hey, I haven't even started touring you. Anyway, Taichi and I were planning to take you around the campus before class started this morning." Yamato chuckled. "He really did want to wake up earlier to help you, until he slept in."

"Is that so?" She picked her bag up, while Yamato followed her out of the classroom.

"There's a twist to his logic, of course. He said he thought it be a good chance for you and I to meet each other. He thinks that since we're both his good friends, we're destined to be the best of friends too." Yamato drawled. "But you know as well as I do that he's lying."

"He is?" Sora stopped walking. "He thinks we won't get along?"

There was a possibility, but it wasn't like Sora was going out of her way to ensure that her and Yamato wouldn't get along. He may have seemed unapproachable at first, but there was more to Yamato than just a handsome face. If Taichi was his friend, it meant he was somebody worth trusting. Besides, Sora didn't want to be on bad terms with him, or anybody as a matter of fact.

Yamato studied her then shook his head. "No, not that. I think we'll get along fine."

"Then what?" Sora queried.

"If you remember, Taichi's horrible with navigation. He gets lost in his own neighbourhood," Yamato grumbled. "He's using us being friends as an excuse so that I can orientate you around instead of him."

Sora frowned. So Taichi had asked Yamato to help him with a chore? She felt happy that Taichi had been thoughtful enough, but for Yamato to be there as a favour did made her feel like she was wasting his time.

She glimpsed the long corridor of classrooms. Girls that stood and chattered in the corridor were sending her glances of envy. She rubbed her temples. It wasn't like she wanted him to show her around. If he had volunteered, that would have been fine. If anything, it was probably best to let Yamato do his own thing as he probably was finding it bothersome being around her. After all, Sora wasn't a lost cause. She could find her way around on her own if she had to.

"Are you angry?"

"I'm fine." Sora said, sharply. "Why?"

She had sounded calm, but Yamato had caught the edge in her voice. Not even Taichi was good at picking up things like this, then again Taichi could be quite dense at times.

Yamato told her, "You're walking faster and your face is all puffed up."

"I'm not," She denied. "Yamato, it's fine. I can have a browse around the campus on my own. Thanks anyway!"

She didn't dare turn back on him, striding faster. When she was certain that Yamato had taken the opportunity to leave to do his own thing, she suddenly felt somebody grab hold of her wrist.

Eyes wide with surprise, she glanced behind her to see his blue eyes boring into hers. Sora couldn't decipher whether his eyes were sky blue or ocean blue in colour. The longer she stared, the more she felt unnerved. She finally broke the gaze and Yamato let go of her wrist, chuckling.

Sora put her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"

After his chuckling had subsided, he concluded, "Taichi was right about you."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"You hate asking for help." Yamato continued, "And that you hate asking people for help and are just as stubborn as he is."

"Stubborn?" Sora glared. She felt betrayed that Taichi had talked like this about her to him. "I'm not being stubborn. I personally think that it's pointless to ask people for help when you can figure it out yourself!"

"It doesn't hurt relying on people from time to time," Yamato told her, smirking. "Sometimes it's quicker to ask, Sora."

"Well, I like being on my own as opposed to somebody offering me _fake compassion_." Her voice was gradually rising and some bystanders from the bustling hallway had paused to listen in to their bickering. "I'm fine by myself."

By now Sora had expected Yamato to throw in the towel, but he remained not budging from where he stood. His lips were pressed in a firm line. "Whether you like it or not, it may seem to you like fake compassion, but it is my duty to orientate you around the campus either way."

Yamato pointed at the gleaming gold badge that was pinned on top of his shirt's pocket. _Class President?_ She groaned. Who would have thought that a person in a band could _also_ be assigned as the class president as well? Did Yamato have too much time on his hands or what?

"We have only ten minutes left. If we use more time we won't be able to grab a bite so I suggest we cover as much ground possible," Yamato said, matter-of-factly. "Are you in or are you still mad?"

How he spoke to her made her feel silly. However, Yamato did have a point. She had been acting immaturely and she...had been wrong. Yamato was offering to show her around and she was being a grouch about it. Perhaps she had been ticked off because Taichi had told Yamato things about her that she didn't want people to know, and because of this she had taken it out on the class president. She hated it when Taichi did that, and she hated that she had let out her temper on somebody who was only trying to help her.

Sora sighed. "Sorry."

"What?" Yamato asked, surprised. It was like he was expecting her to fire more anger at his direction.

Sora admitted, "I went out of line there."

Yamato waved it off, playing along, "It's nothing."

"Yeah." Sora scratched the back of her head, ashamed. To him it may have felt like nothing, but to her she felt horrible for lashing out at him like that.

"And, to be honest, I don't think I could have left you alone when I saw where you were going," Yamato smirked. "Apparently Taichi was right. You both have a lousy sense of direction."

Sora stared questionably at him, until her eyes followed where he was gesturing at. She shook her head to herself, lightly slapping a hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe that she was blindly going to walk into there. At least Yamato had saved her from pending humiliation.

"The male toilets." Yamato teased, "Really, Sora?"

She smoothed out her skirt, giving a small smile. "Well, maybe I do need a little help…"

Yamato was about to show her the gym until the pair noticed a rather flustered looking lone student, appearing to be half-passed out on the floor.

"Koushiro?" Yamato called out, uncertainty.

Sora squinted her eyes. Yes, it was their mutual friend, despite him looking anything but.

"Yamato? Sora?" Koushiro barely managed to say. He ruffled his hands through his red hair, eying their presences before repositioning himself on the floor.

He rested his back onto the wall, sitting against it and closed his eyes. There was a glum look that fostered his facial expression. The last time Sora had seen him like this was when they were six. Koushiro had had a bad case of influenza and hadn't told anybody, literally, passing out on the floor (which had greatly scared Taichi and Sora). Asides from Koushiro staying up late for computer duties, the computer maniac was fit and relatively good at maintaining his health. Therefore, it was not like Koushiro to look completely defeated.

Sora's pace quickened in mild panic as she squatted down next to him. She rested a hand on his forehead. "Are you sick?"

"N-no," Koushiro stuttered. "I...I can't take it."

"What's wrong?" Sora took her hand away from him, ruling out that he had the flu from how his temperature matched hers.

"What's eating you up then?" Yamato asked the exact question that Sora was thinking.

"The foreigner." Koushiro gasped out. "She's _craz_y."

A high pitched feminine voice bristled. "Well, isn't that rude?"

The foreigner had ironically chosen the right moment to make an appearance.

She skipped as she made her way towards them, stopping a step away from the trio. She straightened her shoulders, crossing her arms together as her caramel coloured eyes stared piercingly at Koushiro. "And I thought we were friends, Koushiro?"

Although she had spoken to him in a soft, airy tone, Sora could sense a chilling threat behind her rhetorical question.

"We're not friends," Koushiro says, bluntly. Sora and Yamato both look at Koushiro in shock by their friend's unusual abruptness. It wasn't in his personality to be straightforward and dismissive when he disliked a person. "Well, not yet. Didn't I tell you that I was assigned to escort you to familiarise yourself with our campus?"

"Yes…" The foreigner replies in her perfect English this time.

Sora didn't know why Koushiro found the foreigner crazy. She had expected her to be worse. Asides from her flashy fashion sense and hairstyle (she had _pink_ hair), she seemed to have a gentle aura around her. If anything, she was beautiful.

"How can I do the duty of escorting you when you've spent last class's period in the toilets? The principal designated us this spare time to use it wisely. He had granted us permission to skip our physics class so that I could escort you around. How can I orientate one when you have spent a good two hours in the toilets? This is ridiculous and absurd."

"Oh, don't be silly." The foreign female giggled. "I wasn't _that_ long. Besides, us ladies need to care about appearance. Isn't that right?"

The foreigner took in Sora's appearance, having given her a blatant head-to-toe assessment. Her eyes had lingered at the length of Sora's long skirt a bit longer and a frown formed on her lips. "A piece of advice, honey. I think you should trim down that blanket you're wearing."

Sora could see Yamato and Koushiro silently gawking at their interaction from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't care.

"It's comfortable. I'm not changing it," Sora stated. She had always opted long skirts anyway. "I'm the one wearing it, not you."

It wasn't like she wanted to start an argument with the foreigner, but Sora knew if she agreed to what the foreigner said and let the comment slide, the girl would keep pestering her to conform to her idea of what was considered 'trendy'.

Sora wouldn't condone it. She had enough from the students from her class whispering behind her back, and Sora was not going to let it continue on - especially when the foreigner was her junior. The girl may not be accustomed to the Japanese culture, but Sora would ensure that the foreigner would at least address her with respect.

"Finally, somebody who speaks their mind."

Sora had predicted the foreigner would express attitude towards her, but instead she seemed impressed by her response. The foreigner projecting a cunning grin. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sora." The older student supplied, uncertain what to make of foreigner anymore.

Koushiro was right. Perhaps the foreigner was _actually_ insane?

The foreigner's grin widened. She bounced closer to Sora, linking an arm around hers as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Let's be friends!" The foreigner declared. "I'm Mimi. Mimi Tachikawa!"

Koushiro coughed out, "Tachikawa, Mimi."

"Same thing!"

"No, it isn't." Koushiro disagreed. "You're half Japanese. You should know this."

"Whatever," Mimi brushed him off.

Sora couldn't keep up with the foreigner. Half of her wanted to shake off her grasp, the other half wanted to see how it played out. Mimi seemed rather erratic and, dare say, fun. Perhaps befriending Mimi wouldn't be a bad thing? She hadn't made any female friends yet and, at least, Mimi said things upfront as opposed to bad mouthing people behind their backs.

She watched as Mimi's attention drifted to the blond-headed teenager who hadn't spoken a word since her arrival. "And who are you, hot boy?"

"Yamato."

"Matt, huh?"

"Yamato," Yamato repeated with irritation evident in his tone.

"Oh." Mimi reasoned out, "But Matt's easier to say."

"You're being rude, Mimi," Koushiro lectured her.

Yamato shook his head, unable to take it anymore. "Then call me Matt if it's easier for you."

Sora exchanged a look with the musician and he returned an amused smile. Whatever that was unfolding before them was more stimulating and fascinating than a measly tour around Odaiba High. As much as being homeschooled had its own benefits, she had missed being around people her own age.

"So you're both dating?" Mimi remarked, having had seen the shared look between Sora and Yamato. She then lightly slapped a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me that you're together?"

"What?" Sora blinked, as Yamato rolled his eyes. "No! No, we're not together!"

"Then what...are you?"

"We're friends," Yamato replied, impatiently. "Can we get to it now? We won't have anything to eat at this rate."

"Should we escort them around together?" Koushiro suggested.

"We might as well." Yamato told him, speaking as if the two females weren't there. "Don't we always suffer together?"

"Hey!" Mimi exclaimed, offended. "We're not bad people!"

"We're talking about you, not Sora," Koushiro deadpanned, which caused Yamato to mercilessly chuckle.

"For the record," Mimi whispered so that only Sora could hear, "I prefer brunettes. Redhead and Blondie are mean."

Sora giggled as Mimi pulled Sora along as they followed after the boys, arms still linked around each other.

It was a good thing that Sora had Mimi as company because she didn't know how she could have endured it on her own. Why? Because Koushiro and Yamato turned out to be lousy guides.

Yamato was lazy. He made Koushiro do all the work, having not uttered a single word ever since the commencement of their tour. Sora figured that he might have been just as manipulative as Taichi, deceiving Koushiro into spreading his knowledge about the school in his monotonous voice.

Sora finally understood why Mimi had excused herself to the toilets. Koushiro was giving them a lengthy explanation and in-depth tour of every room, statue, photograph and building. He would talk about the school's intricate history, listing all the past principals from the founder to the current principal. He'd talk about the composition of each building, the interior, the design and the exact year, date and month in which parts of the school had to been built. He even didn't failed to mention when each building was renovated and fixed up due damage from the war.

"And this is one of the club rooms," Koushiro declared, gesturing at the small room that was cramped with approximately fifteen male students. "Right now they're conducting a soccer conference."

Sora gave a wry smile when she saw Taichi standing next to the whiteboard. It was hard not to spot him when his bushy brown hair being difficult to miss. Currently, he was holding a pointing stick and tracing it on the whiteboard with strategies that he may have thought up over the holidays.

Soccer was one of those rare things that Taichi could _actually_ concentrated on. He had a fierce passion for it and his never-give-up attitude had Sora motivated whenever they'd play a game as children. Sora was sure she enjoyed soccer because of Taichi, more than the actual sport. He made it entertaining.

"The soccer club was formed in the early 1970s. Currently, the captain is Yagami-"

"Who is that?" Mimi interrupted Koushiro's dull speech. "Yagami, _who_?"

"I was getting to that until you-"

Mimi hurriedly unlinked her arm from Sora's, sprinting towards the room as she, almost, pressed her face against the window. Sora shook her head.

_Brunettes, huh?_

"You're going to get us into trouble!" Koushiro barked.

Koushiro lunged forward, in a hopeless attempt to prevent her from sabotaging the meeting. However, the boys in the room were distracted by their loud squabbling, no longer paying attention to Taichi as they glimpsed the pretty foreigner.

Sora stared on in amusement and heard Yamato chuckling. She asked him, "Aren't you going to try and stop them?"

"No." Yamato said. "It's entertaining."

"Mimi? Or seeing Koushiro struggle with her?" Sora simpered. Somehow she knew that whatever Yamato was going to answer would amuse her.

"Both."

She laughed and a split second later, Yamato was also guffawing.

"You guys are hopeless friends." Koushiro glared as he continued trying to peel Mimi from the window. "I can hear you, you know?!"

They kept laughing.

.

* * *

**(a/n)** This chapter has been plaguing my mind for a while. I was meaning to post/finish writing it yesterday, but a random Sorato One-shot wanted to be written...so I did. xD

I'm finding it ironic that the first two chapters of this story was released pre Digimon Tri and that in a month's time (or something like that), the next 4 episodes will be released. Who would have thought they would bring back the series? Who knew I'd update this story after 10ish months? Haha.

Anyway, I'll stop blabbering like I usually do. Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day...or hung out with your single friends and had a great time (which I did. xD).

xox

P.S. It's really nice seeing people from back in the day (haha), still lingering around ;)

P.S.S. Good pick up SkuAg. Mimi's not in uniform because her uniform hasn't arrived yet. I forgot to mention it in this chapter.


	4. Chapter Four: Old-Fashioned Milkshakes

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter four 

_**o**ld-fashioned **m**ilkshakes_

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* * *

"Wait up!"

Sora ambled on, certain that the voice was intended for the lively group of girls that meandered in front of her. She shrugged the bag straps further up her shoulders, glancing a glimpse at her watch.

_Would she make it on time?_

She estimated that from school it wouldn't take her long to reach the cafe. However, she knew that with her sense of direction she would take longer.

Unfolding the piece of paper, she frowned at the map. Hikari's sketch was just as illegible as her older brother's drawings. The lines, squiggles and dashes looked like an abstract contemporary piece of hideous. It must have been a hereditary thing because the more Sora studied the map, the more confused she'd get.

Then again, it wasn't like Sora was a whizz at interpreting maps. It couldn't be helped that her map-reading confidence had shrivelled up since the morning, all thanks to her finding out of how Taichi had told Yamato of her nonexistent navigation skills.

"Sora!"

She raised her eyebrow. Now that was definitely her name. Sora turned around and saw that Yamato was chasing after her. She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up. His blond hair become more dishevelled as he jogged over. His cheeks were slightly pink as he leaned forward, hands on his kneecaps.

He wheezed out. "Couldn't you hear me before?"

"No," Sora replied. "I thought that you were yelling for somebody else. What's wrong?"

"I forgot to give you this..." Yamato pulled out a white paper booklet from his backpack, handing it to her. "Since it's your first day, you get until next week to decide on one."

She flipped through the pages and asked him, "Do I need to join a club?"

"It's compulsory that you pick at least one after-school curricular activity." He filled her in.

Sora flipped to the 'S' section and frowned. "What? They've only got a male team. I can't play soccer?"

"They stopped the female club a year back because not many girls expressed interest in it," Yamato said, recognising the disappointed look on Sora's face. "If you had moved to our school last year, you would have been able to put a petition in and tried to recruit some people, but unfortunately the clubs have already been finalised for the year."

"That's a shame," Sora sighed, tucking the booklet into her school bag's front pocket. She stretched. "Maybe it's a good thing. I've probably deskilled after not playing soccer for such a long time. If Taichi sees me on the field now, I probably couldn't look him in the eye. His obsession hasn't died the tiniest bit over the years, has it?"

"Not at all." Yamato smirked. "He eats, sleeps and breathes soccer."

She sighed, thinking how troublesome it would be to choose a new club. Sora didn't even know what she liked and she wasn't the slightest bit aware of her own interests anymore. She had been preoccupied in Kyoto, helping her grandmother with her shop and studying.

Besides, Sora wasn't like Taichi. Ever since they were kids Taichi had wanted to be soccer star ever since his tiny beady eyes had first caught sight of soccer ball. In fact, Taichi had influenced her into thinking that soccer was the only path for her too. Sora realised that when she had moved to Kyoto, she had lost interest in the sport and there was nobody her age that wanted to play soccer with her.

It was unfair. Taichi was passionate about soccer. Hikari had photography. Koushiro was a computer genius. Her new friend, Jyou, was aiming to be a doctor.

She glanced at the guy next to her - and, apparently, Yamato had a talent for music.

While she..._what was she good at?_

Sora had never thought about it properly and now that she had the chance to, it made her feel uneasy. Tokyo provided so many opportunities, but she couldn't blame the big city for her indecisiveness. Even in Kyoto, she never thought for herself and her future goals. It had been a topic that she had tucked away in the back of her mind.

She paced absentmindedly onwards, a habit she did whenever she was deep in thought.

"Where are you off too? Don't you live near Taichi?"

She blinked. She would have wandered across the street if Yamato hadn't called out, having forgotten that he had been with her.

"Huh? Uh...yes?" Sora smiled, feigning to be in tune with her surroundings. However, when she caught his gaze she could tell that he had noticed she hadn't completely been paying attention to him.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"_Somewhere_..." She muttered. She bit her bottom lip then paled when she glimpsed her watch. "Oh no! I need to be at Diver City in twenty minutes!"

Yamato laughed. "Probably best not to walk it. It's actually takes longer than that. Let's catch the train because it's more closer. I promise that it'll save you some time."

"Wh-what?" She stammered.

Sora was about to ask him why Yamato had invited himself along, but he was already striding past her, turning round the curb. He turned his head at her direction. "What are you waiting for? We need to run or we won't make it!"

The wind battled against her auburn hair, messing it up as she breathlessly shadowed his lead. From what Sora had assumed, she had never thought of Yamato to be a fast runner because he wasn't an athlete. She noted his broad back because every time Yamato would take a step, Sora would see the guitar case sway back and forth.

He slowed his pace to meet hers, thumbing at the direction of the station.

Together, they raced towards the station and once they found themselves on the right platform, they swiped their transport cards and hurriedly hopped onto the train that had arrived a second earlier.

It was a tight squeeze. Luckily, Sora had found a corner position besides the door and the rails. Yamato anchored himself in front of her, holding onto a steel rail above their heads. He had given her enough space to breathe, leaving himself with less room to move around. Bags and people knocked against his back, but he didn't seem to notice as he subconsciously transformed himself into a barrier.

Sora said, quietly, "Hey, you didn't have to do that."

"Do what?"

What was funny was that he actually looked bemused. Even though he wasn't aware of what he was doing, he subtly tended to take care of the people around him without realising it. She had pinned him to be coolly composed, unapproachable and arrogant the first time she had met him, but there was more to Yamato than she had judged him to be. She wanted to kick herself for being so judgemental of him in the first place.

It now made sense why he had been assigned the Class President. At first Sora had thought it had been a popularity title, but now her opinion differed. From being around him that one single day, Sora begun to see Yamato in a different light. Sure, at times he slacked off (for example when he had let Koushiro be in charge of the history-lesson-of-a-tour), but he would do little tasks that made a big difference.

After Koushiro had finished his tedious tour, Yamato had exposed her to places in the school that Koushiro had skipped. From the shortcuts that were quicker to commute between buildings, the secret passcode to the private toilet if she ever was desperate, which old lady at the canteen was the brewer of the greatest hot chocolates, the cheapest vending machines, the quietest studying spots, the principal's meditation garden, and the highest rooftop if she ever valued some alone time...all of the small details, Yamato had gone out of the way to generously show her.

Yamato's kindness hadn't stopped there. He had quietly kept her company when they had waited for Taichi's to join them for lunch. He had escorted her to the next class and, even now, he had made sure that she received the brochure of clubs for her to choose from.

And, it wasn't even about her...Yamato seemed to be care about everyone.

She had seen Yamato buy Koushiro a _Calpico_ (which happened to be Koushiro's favourite drink) without asking him when they had passed by a vending machine. She had witnessed him jotting down an extra set of notes when Taichi had fallen asleep during Chemistry class. During the school tour, he had told her to wait a minute while he had helped a teacher bring boxes of supplies into the Art room - but what got to Sora was that he just _did_ it without anybody asking him to. His body acted on its own. He appeared rough around the edges, but Yamato was genuinely a nice guy.

"Do what? Do you mean me showing you to Diver City?" Yamato guessed. "Don't worry about it. I have band practice conveniently nearby."

Sora nodded. She had a feeling that even if Yamato hadn't had band practice he would have helped her out. He was too caring for his own good and Sora couldn't help but think it was a bad trait to have. Her father had been like that, and it had potentially ruined him. She had promised herself to never turn out like her own father as her father had been too nice, that there had been more than one occasion that Sora had witnessed him being taken advantage of - even by her own mother.

"Sora?" Yamato said. "You space out a lot, has anybody told you that?"

"No, but I already know I do. Sorry, Yamato. I'm still getting used to everything." She admitted, "I only really spoke to the locals, my grandmother and father back in Kyoto. Being homeschooled makes me feel awkward."

"Don't worry. It will pass by. Being in a new environment and new school...it's only natural for somebody to feel awkward at first," Yamato pointed out.

Yes, Yamato was too nice. While Sora had been psychoanalysing him, he had done the same to her. Was she that easy to read or did he just have a knack for being over-observant? She wondered if it was a good idea to be around him. Sora would have preferred hanging around with somebody like Mimi – upfront and brutally honest, not somebody who could get walked over.

She bit her bottom lip, unhappy with herself. _What was she thinking? Why did she keep judging him?_

"Thanks though," Sora muttered. "For the whole day. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be late for my interview."

"Oh, you're having one?" Yamato said, curiously. "Where?"

"At Starbucks. Hikari pitched in a good word for me to her manager so I'll hopefully get it." She gave another smile, but the tone of her voice was jittery.

"You'll be fine and I'm certain you'll get the position because Hikari is the manager's favourite." Yamato chuckled, reassuring her.

"How do you know?" Sora asked, tilting her head in suspicion. "Does he have a crush on her?

"Not at all. If he did, I'd probably punch him out. My kid brother already is doing my head in because he does enough swooning over her; I don't need Akira going crazy over her too," Yamato said. "Anyway, she's like my own sister. If I were to choose, I'd want her to be with nobody."

"You're worse than Taichi."

"Do you blame me?" Yamato states, "I've watched her grow up and I don't like boys being within a feet radius where she is – even if it is my brother or Akira."

It was odd that Yamato spoke about her interviewer with such casualness. She questioned him, "How do you know Akira?"

"He's the drummer in my band," Yamato revealed, grinning. "That's why I know you'll get it. He likes pretty girls. And-well...actually, maybe I_ shouldn't_ tell you."

Sora pretended that she hadn't heard Yamato off-handedly compliment her.

She stared at him, expectantly. "Tell me what?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"You've already gone this far into telling me." Sora pointed out, sulking. Perhaps she hadn't given Yamato as much credit as she thought. He was just as bad as Taichi whenever it came to teasing people.

He watched her, smirking at her anticipation. "Are you sure?"

Sora glared at him and he chuckled at her.

"Akira is girl crazy."

"_So_?"

Yamato laughed. "You know the type of guy parents would hate their daughter to meet? He's one of them."

"Why? Is he a player?" Sora began to list, wryly. "Maybe he's on drugs? Drinks? Smokes, oh wait...that's_ you_."

"Ha ha," Yamato dryly laughed. "Hey, I'm trying to quit. It's just hard when the old man smokes like a chimney. I haven't breathed fresh air inside home for a long time. It makes it difficult to stop, you know?"

"I wouldn't know," Sora quietly replied. "You shouldn't though because you're underage. If it's peer pressure, you should know better and ignore what people say-"

Yamato chuckled loudly, interrupting her scolding. "For somebody so quiet, you are quite opinionated. Don't like smokers, huh?"

"I don't like many things," Sora said. "Besides, it's bad for you."

Yamato commented, "I'll take note, but it's hard when you're addicted already. However, it's nice that you're concerned. It's very motherly of you."

Sora frowned. "Did Taichi describe me as '_motherly'_ too? How much has he said about me to you? Asides from me being his old friend, bad with directions and being a tomboy? Wait till I see him next and I-"

"Oh no, that wasn't him." Yamato stated, "That was _completely _all me."

"_What_?"

"You seem quite strict and mature for your age. Maybe being old-fashioned is a Kyoto thing?"

"Excuse me?" Sora huffed.

Yamato was chuckling now. "I'm only joking."

Sora knew he wasn't. His satire was biting. She folded her arms, but wasn't offended. She punched him on the arm and he laughed harder at her. She knew he wasn't intentionally insulting her, he was just harmlessly saying words to get under her skin because he knew that she could take it without crying her eyes out. Of course he was Taichi's best friend. She couldn't help but wonder all trouble they would have caused Koushiro in her absence, the poor guy.

The guitarist continued to speak, "Anyway, it's a good thing that you're Kyoto-influenced. You'd want to wrapped up like a mummy around Akira, so I wouldn't take Mimi's advice about shortening the length of your skirt. Then again, you might get along with him too since you have an old soul and-"

"And why do you think we'll get along well?" Her lips twitched as she cut him off. Sora already knowing that what she was going to hear for him wouldn't be an answer that she fancied.

"He's got a mentality of an old geezer. And, to think, he's only three years older than us..."

"Why do you say that?"

Amusement flickered in Yamato's eyes as he revealed, "Akira's a pervert."

Sora groaned.

_Great._

* * *

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Yamato was right about many things.

_One._ Sora did get the job._ Two._ Akira was, indeed, the drummer to Yamato's band. And _Three._ Akira was incredibly lecherous, that it was almost comedic.

_Almost..._

The interview had only lasted five minutes, which consisted of her signing the contract and Akira making a rushed exit to his band's rehearsal session. In the process, he had complimented her new co-worker – Miyako - that she looked dashing that day, while ogling at her chest area (which she, surprisingly, had slapped him on the butt for it).

Sora had blinked, confused by the exchange. Hikari, who had been there as well, giggled. "Don't worry, Sora. Miyako's got a boyfriend. That's how they communicate. If Akira's being an ass to you, act like an ass back to him. "

From that, Sora was almost tempted to withdraw from the contract. It was enough that Akira was a pervert, but now Sora knew that he had corrupted her once innocent little Hikari with his lecherous actions. Then again, Sora shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore. Underage drinking, smoking and people with a lack of etiquette? So this was Tokyo, huh? If her grandmother was here, she'd have a heart attack; Sora was sure of it.

_Maybe being old-fashioned is a Kyoto thing?_

Yamato's words repeated in her head. Perhaps Yamato was right. If Sora had been living in Tokyo, she would have continued being a confident tomboy and wouldn't have lived the sheltered life. She was protected living in Kyoto, but in Tokyo everything was exposed. It made her feel more lost than she already was - and to think it was only her first day!

What a big day she had had...

She had given up on her sense of direction, using her phone's GPS to guide her. Distractedly, she gazed at the fiery sunlight that reflected against the water as the sun setted. At least she lived near water. That was one of the positives about residing in Odaiba. Being near water calmed down her nerves. When she gazed away from the bay, her eyes caught onto the greenery that appeared on her right side. Sora had thought she had seen trees, but as she looked properly at the greenery, she noticed that it actually a soccer field that she was walking by.

She beamed when she noticed a single player dash across the field, dribbling the soccer ball between his two feet.

His darn brown tousled hair was a dead giveaway.

She smirked, throwing her backpack onto a bench as she ran onto the field. She secretly jogged into the centre of the field and as she tried to steal the ball from the player, he dodged her, circling around her before effortlessly kicking a goal.

"Takenouchi," Taichi addressed her with a smug grin. "There's no point bothering to sneak the ball off me because I'm a legend. Learn from it."

"Oh, shut up," Sora grumbled, unimpressed that her not-so-secret attack had been wasted.

"Don't scowl." Taichi said, "It's not my fault _somebody's_ rusty."

She shoved him and, from the impact, Taichi fell unceremoniously onto the grass, rolling a few times for exaggerating emphasis. Sora gave a wild smile, collapsing onto the grass next to his lying figure.

Sora stretched her legs out and kicked him. "Stop faking it."

Taichi was laughing, of course. It was a very Taichi thing, after all. He sat up, brushing his knees. "How was your interview?"

"Apparently I'm starting tomorrow," Sora said. "Yamato actually showed me to the place before his band rehearsal. I swear, I'm seeing him more than you! I guess Mr. Soccer Captain is too good to hang out with me anymore..."

"Hey, you should be happy about it. Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes, having Mr. Guitar Man as your own personal escort?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"I'm being honest," Taichi gave a toothy smile. "Even I'm jealous. Yamato's quite the stunner."

"You're hopeless. The both of you are," Sora sighed. She yawned, the sunlight making her squint as she stared at Taichi. "In all seriousness, it's only the first day and I feel like I haven't seen you at all. Is this how it's going to be between you and me, Yagami? And no, I don't count you falling asleep in class as interaction."

He teased her, "Turning into a naggy girlfriend?"

"You've got Koushiro and Yamato for that," Sora mumbled, watching as Taichi smirked again.

"It'll be a tough year, Sor. I really want to get a scholarship and being placed as the captain means I have to work harder…"

"I know. You've always been obsessed," Sora said. "It's still sad though. Koushiro's too busy on his computer and you've got soccer. What can I do in the mean time?"

She then remembered the booklet that Yamato had given her. Sora took it out from her backpack and handed it to Taichi. "And how can I pick a club when the only thing I was good at was soccer? Should I shave my head off and draw a moustache? Will you let me join your team then?"

Taichi laughed, flicking through the booklet. "The soccer team is full, and it's unfortunate there isn't a female team anymore..but I'm sure you'll find something else. Look! There's even ceramics!"

"Don't you remember when I dropped that pot on your foot when we were eight? You were so angry at me because you couldn't play soccer for a week-"

Taichi ruled out, grimacing at the memory. "Fine, maybe not ceramics then…"

The pair mused over the other activities offered in the booklet, with Sora almost punching him out when he suggested that she join the Nail Art group or start a Hello Kitty Fanclub for good measures.

When Sora short-listed five, she stood up. "Thanks for your input."

"Is that it?" Taichi disapproved, gasping sarcastically. "Are you using me just like that? After the hard work you've made me endure!"

"Trust me, that wasn't hard work for you," Sora rolled her eyes. "You were ridiculing me the whole time. That's your second nature."

"The least you could do is buy me a chocolate milkshake..."

"Idiot." Sora sighed as he looked up at her with pleading eyes. She pulled him up with one hand. "Let's go then."

Chocolate milkshakes had always been their tradition. After every soccer game or practice, demolishing chocolate milkshakes had been their common ground.

They fetched both their bags and as they walked along the pathway, Taichi threw his arm over Sora's shoulder.

"So...tell me about that cute girl Koushiro's been hanging out with. You know, that foreigner with the _pink_ hair?"

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**(a/n)** 10.05.16

Thanks for reading! A few of you mightn't have known, but yes..this will be a high school fanfic. I don't usually write high school fanfics as it's not usually my genre, but it only seemed fitting for this story (which may also be another reason why I'm finding it difficult to update).

It's a bit draggish, I know, but before romance I think this story is more of a 'slice of life' for Sora. And, I guess, I'm not really one who jumps onto the romance wagon when I write stories...so apologies in advance. It's me; not you. lol.

I'm sure there are mistakes here and there, so I'll fix it another time. Have a good week!

P.S. I've added chapter titles.


	5. Chapter Five: Wednesday Blues

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter five

**w**ednesday **b**lues

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Vibrant colours surrounded her. She was stranded in a sea of colours that laid out, inconsistently throughout the vicinity. Patterns, fabrics, shades, hues, pastels overwhelmed her vision as she breathed inside a world she never knew existed.

Sora's ran her hands through the smooth material between her fingers, shortly before touching the fur collar of a beige coat. While her hands were touching the garments, her eyes would scan over other the place, eying the flounce of the dresses to observing the intricate details of the bronze necklace which had clung around the mannequin's neck. Because it was unfamiliar, Sora found everything peculiar and interesting.

And, to think, that there were hundreds of shops that surrounded the one she was in. When she had her interview, because she had been rushing to get there, she hadn't realised that her workplace was inside Diver City's department store. At least she now knew what she could do in her spare time before work.

She had to thank Mimi for it.

When classes had ended that day, her junior had been dawdling outside her room waiting for her. Mimi tended to always have time to kill.

Ever since Sora had met Mimi on the first day, Sora couldn't seem to get rid of her – not that she minded Mimi's presence. Prior to classes, during breaks or after school, Mimi tended to shadow after her. Not that Sora was complaining. Sora actually preferred being with Mimi than the rest of the girls in her year level.

Besides, it wasn't like she could go back to the relationship she had with Taichi and Koushiro when they were younger. Sometimes she couldn't help but think that Yamato seemed to replaced her spot in the trio. The three boys often spoke of memories or inside jokes that she didn't get. She felt like a stranger and, at least with Mimi, she didn't feel as isolated.

"Are you there, Sora?" Mimi's voice floated over the cubicle.

"Yeah!" She grinned. While Sora liked to take in every aspect of the clothing she fancied before even thinking of trying it on, Mimi had the habit of grabbing the maximum armful of garments permitted before charging into the change rooms.

The more time they spent shopping, Sora was certain that Mimi actually liked trying on the clothing for Sora's reaction. Mimi would pick absurd clothing that would clash in every way, making Sora laugh. When Sora did dish out a compliment, Mimi purchased the clothing without a second thought (which was why Sora learned to stop telling Mimi that she looked good in everything).

Expecting Mimi to be wearing a neon orange dress, that Sora had seen her sneak into this round of her fashion show, Mimi did a twirl to display their school's uniform. Her skirt bounced up and down as she turned around on the spot.

Sora laughed. "Your uniform order finally arrived?"

"Yes," Mimi said. "Now everybody will stop staring at me."

"I don't think that will happen any time soon," Sora replied, honestly. "You need to dye your hair to a more natural looking colour. Plus, you keep cursing out in English whenever you get mad or excited-"

"Still, I don't get it! I don't see why I have to dye my hair. What about my individuality?" Mimi grumbled. "It's unfair! It was more flexible when I was back home."

Sora made a point. "But it's a rule."

"That's not good enough. It's a _stupid_ rule," Mimi rebelled. "Do you think you can raise this issue with Yamato? He might have a say because he's a representative."

"It's not his say. Why don't you ask him yourself?" Just because Sora hung out with Yamato didn't mean they were that close for her to bring Mimi's 'situation' up.

"Sora, he's a cute guy but I think he's intimidating and, besides, you get along better with him than I do. Can persuade him on my behalf?"

"I'm not convincing him when you're _obviously _wrong. Can't you _please_ listen to the school rule and do yourself the courtesy in dying your hair brown?" Sora remarked, "It's not that hard."

"You're no fun," Mimi pouted.

After scouting the shop, Sora walked out empty-handed, whereas Mimi added another shopping bag to her collection that she was holding. Together, they made their way to Sora's workplace.

In the process, Sora began to pull her hair up into a ponytail. It proved to be challenging as strands of her auburn hair kept falling out for her do. Sora blamed it on her hair's awkward length, as it was torn between it being allowed to be kept down as opposed to it being _barely_ a manageable length to be tied up. Sora made note to get a haircut the next week. She had that choice, or to let it grow out – which mean investing in more hairpins.

"Oh, Sora!" Somebody called out her name. "I was just about to give you a buzz!"

From the corner of her eye, Sora glimpsed the person speaking to her was her manager.

Sora spoke up, "Well, I'm here now. I wasn't going to be late-"

"No, I was worried that you might have forgotten the shift. Thanks again for doing me this favour," Akira grinned, but his eyes were on Mimi. "I forgot the band had an additional rehearsal today."

When Sora had first met Akira, he reminded her vaguely of Taichi because they had the same coloured hair. However, his hair didn't have the tendency to stick up like Taichi's, as Akira's hair was longer, tamed down with gel, and somewhat a few centimetres shorter than her own length. Akira was a couple of years older than she and was a high school graduate. He hadn't pursued studying and instead had chosen to effectively manage the cafe – that, and drum for Yamato's band.

Akira was donned in torn black jeans and navy shirt which plunged down in the shape of a 'V', patently showing off a good portion of his clavicle. Although Sora hadn't known Akira long and hadn't seen him outside of work before, she had the image of Akira's casual style to be like this. Akira was quite handsome and he _knew_ so - which was why he flaunted his gracious looks and sprouted out corny pick-up lines and perverted glances because he knew he could get away with it.

"And what's your name, _mademoushieru?_" Akira playfully zeroed onto Mimi, having not missed a beat.

"The name is Mimi." Sora's friend tilted her head, eyes sparkling in amusement. "Do you mean 'mademoiselle'?"

"Amazing!" Akira gaped. "As well as being breathtaking, she speaks English too! You clearly must be heaven sent and-"

"Shouldn't you be going now?" Sora glared at her manager, prompting him to leave them in peace. She wasn't even going to correct Akira of the difference between French and English. She wanted him gone and out of their sights.

"He doesn't need to go," Mimi protested. "Let him keep talking. His compliments are making me feel good about myself."

"I can make you feel good in _many_ ways," Akira winked and in response Sora felt close to dry-retching in her own mouth.

Mimi saw the humour in it, letting out a whimsical chortle. "No thanks, darling."

When they finally exchanged farewells, Akira had suavely kissed the back of both of their hands and left with a light-hearted curtsy. Mimi told Sora that she'd keep shopping, which had made Sora laugh.

At Starbucks, Sora immediately locked up her belongings and bowed the straps of her apron on before setting straight to work.

"Second shift in and you're getting the hang of this," Hikari whistled, watching as Sora frothed the milk. "You're a quick learner."

"Not really." Sora admitted, "I did my homework and studied the art of coffee brewing by watching some youtube videos last night."

Hikari teasingly, chided, "And here I gave you the chance to gloat, Sora."

She smiled as she poured the contents into the cup. Sora also found herself becoming mesmerised by the hypnotic scent of the coffee beans. She had been more of a tea person, but she had a hunch that by the end of the week her opinion would differ.

Her eyes scanned the cafe that was currently bustling with students, mothers and businessmen. The environment was pleasant and she was thankful that Hikari had recommended her to work there.

Sora cupped the steaming beverage.

"A _grande_ white hot chocolate for Daisuke?"

As soon as Sora said the customer's name out loud, she remembered Hikari's friend she had met at Takeru's basketball game and at Koushiro's birthday party. When she identified him to be the same person, she picked up the hot chocolate and directly handed it out to him. "Nice to see you again!"

"Thanks Sora," Daisuke replied, sheepishly. "I was-"

"Daisuke!" Hikari exclaimed, jumping in when she observed him. "What are you doing here?"

He stammered, "N-nothing!"

Hikari placed her hands on her hips, not having any of it. "You don't like coffee and you don't like buying anything from here because you think it's too expensive!"

"I wanted a change." Daisuke avoided their eye contact. As Hikari was about to interrogate him even more, he took a step away from the counter. "I'll be heading off now."

Bemused, Sora watched on as Daisuke dashed out the door. She glanced back at Hikari who was giggling to herself. Sora blinked. "What?"

"I mentioned to him at school that you were working today."

"So?" Sora replied, not understanding how that related to Daisuke's odd actions.

Hikari said, incredulously, "You don't get it?"

"No…"

"I think Dai might have a _little_ crush on you." Hikari smirked.

"Err…" Sora trailed off, looking anywhere and everywhere, for an excuse to escape from the impending topic. "Oh, the next customer is here."

Hikari sniggered.

The two hours speedily went by, much to Sora's discontentment. She wished that she was covering Akira for more than the couple of hours because she was dreading going to dinner. If she had the full shift, she could have told her mother she couldn't make it. Unfortunately, Sora knew that regardless, she would eventually have to meet her mother's new partner.

"At _least_ try to look happy, Sora."

Sora had already dealt enough with her mother pestering her to wearing presentable clothing, that she had even gone out of the way to pick her out a peach blouse and ruffled grey skirt to wear for that night. Being dolled up for a strained socialising meeting was not Sora's idea of blissfulness and definitely wasn't worth a forced smile.

It irritated Sora because, in addition to making her wear something she didn't like, her mother was presently commanding her to put on a fake act and show she that she was 'happy' as they both waited outside the front door.

Upon entering the apartment complex, Sora already knew that her mother had scored herself quite the catch. The place was brimming in wealth from the fancy marbled floor, the stern security guards, the draping crystal chandelier in the lobby, the smoothness of the elevator ride and to the general cleanliness of the place – her mother's partner was, undoubtedly, rich.

Sora skittishly loitered behind her mother as she watched her hug the stranger who had opened the door. Sora glanced away when they shared a kiss and when they eventually remembered she was there, they took of their shoes and entered the apartment.

"I'm Yamada Kazuo." The middle aged man curtly said, "Nice to meet you, Sora-san."

Sora formally bowed and threw back the words he had said to her. "It's nice to meet you too, Yamada-san."

He was tall; a head taller than her father, and possibly older. Signs of his age was detectable from the arbitrary strands of grey hair that contrasted amongst his short black hair. He dressed well, still clad in his work suit. He smelled of expensive cologne, aftershave and his whole presence screamed importance. The only times Sora had witnessed her father dress up like Mr. Yamada was when he had to make appearances outside of the lab to meet for obligatory parties with the University executives. Sora could tell that Mr. Yamada dressed up like this on a regular basis and she knew that it was something that she couldn't, an possibly wouldn't, get used to.

Mr. Yamada gave them a mini tour of the house. The five bedrooms (which Sora found highly unnecessary as he only lived with his son). The two bathrooms. The study. The cinema room. The bar. The music room...

_What?_

"My son is a pianist," Mr. Yamada commented as he watched Sora step towards the instrument, marvelling at the ebony gleaming pianoforte in the centre of the spacious room. As Sora let her fingers drift over the ivory keys, Mr. Yamada asked her, "Do you play?"

"No, she doesn't," Sora's mother answered for her, lips pursing downwards. "I bought her a violin when she was seven. It was _such_ a waste of money since she never practiced. We had to cancel her music lessons. She thought soccer was more interesting than-"

"Soccer?" Mr. Yamada's eyes sparkled in interest, to Sora's astonishment. "My son is the most unhealthiest person alive. He's too obsessed with music."

_Perhaps there was hope after all?_ She was thankful that he had interrupted her mother's rant. Sora hated it whenever her mother tried to single her out. She was sick of her talking bad about her.

"I used to play," Sora replied. "I stopped a while back because I lack the talent for it. However, my best friend is really good and he wants to make a career out of it. He's the captain at Odiaba High and he's aiming to go pro."

"Yagami Taichi?"

Sora raised her eyebrows. "You know of him?"

"Who doesn't?" Mr. Yamada chuckled. "He's always playing soccer. Even when my son was a senior, Taichi was a junior at that time and everybody talked highly of him. I used to play soccer when I was younger. Whenever I get the chance, I like being a spectator at the matches since they're across the road from us. However, it depends on work though. I'm always busy."

"What do you do?" Sora was surprised she was warming up to him and was actually curious about his occupation. She had wanted to detest the man, but she found that she couldn't.

"He's a lawyer." Sora's mother replied for him.

Sora replied, "Oh."

Their talk fell flat from then on. If she had been speaking to Mr. Yamada by herself, Sora was sure that they would speak more – but with her mother there, she didn't really want to make conversation with her eyeing her ever single move.

Whenever Sora was with her mother, her mood was inclined to drop. She had left Odaiba with a bad impression of her, and she had returned with the same thoughts. The only difference was that Sora felt more irritable whenever her mother was in the same room with her. Sora wondered if she could last the whole year living with her mother without her patience breaking into pieces.

Although Mr. Yamada seemed like 'the perfect man', Sora assumed he wasn't the best cook. He took to joining her in his lounge room as they watched the news on the television. Her mother, had left them and was cooking for them. Sora was bothered with how her mother had innately walked into the kitchen, knowing where everything was kept, and began to make dinner as if she had been in her own home. This meant that whatever relationship Mr. Yamada and with her mother was, in fact, a serious one.

She didn't like it.

Mr. Yamada wasn't a bad person, but Sora didn't think she could adjust to it all. Sora had already gotten used to living in Odaiba, settling into school, making new friends, and now she had to cope with her mother's new relationship? Her stomach tumbled, and it wasn't because she was hungry. She wanted to disappear.

All this time she had imagined that her parents would get back together. Even though she despised her mother to bits, she always felt there was hope – a chance, for her mother and father to reconcile and to be together again. And now, as she sat in the living room with her possible future stepfather, the faint possibility of hope had vanquished and what remained was disappointment.

"Do you need to be somewhere?" Mr. Yamada observed that Sora had been gazing above his head at the clock.

Sora's mother stared at her, disgruntled. "No, she doesn't-"

"Actually, I do," Sora said, shoving the last spoon of curry rice into her mouth and swallowing it as quickly as she could.

"Oh, that's a shame," Mr. Yamada sincerely spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yamada. I've got homework due tomorrow. It was nice to meet you," Sora excused herself. She stood up and was about to take her dishes to the sink, but the man waved her down. "That's fine, Sora. You go now."

"I'll see you at home." Her mother frowned. Sora tried to hold back a grin that her mother hadn't offered to leave with her.

As Sora made her exit, she let out a deep, strangled sigh. Her pulse slowed down and she could finally breathe again. The corners of her eyes pricked as she bit on the bottom of her lip. Sora hadn't realised how affected she had been by meeting her mother's partner. Being at his home had felt surreal and, somewhat, painful.

Lost in her own thoughts, it took her a while to notice that she had been wandering the streets in an aimless fashion. It was difficult to pinpoint her location now that the sun had set and the glowing street lights made everything less recognisable.

She shivered, buttoning up her coat as she strode towards the only thing she could recognise in the night – the ferris wheel. It illuminated her pathway, eradicating the darkness away as it lit up the empty night sky. The ferris wheel was a block near her apartment. And, from how far it was, she knew it would be a long walk.

Sora tucked her hands inside her pockets and trudged along. There was no point for her to complain as she had, literally, ambled the opposite direction and she would be lying if she said that she hated walking. Her father had often scolded her for walking by herself.

_Father..._

She took out her phone, dialling the number without a second thought. A couple of dial tones later, she was greeted by a gentle yet coarse masculine tone.

'_You have reached Takenouchi Harehiko's number. Sorry I've missed your call. I am presently overseas doing a research project in Fiji. It is best to contact me via e-mail on..._'

When she could no longer hear his voice, she hastily dialled the number for the second time and savoured his voice. Every time her father's voice would stop speaking, she would dial the number again. Her father's voice was cut off when the battery went flat.

She stood still, chest rising and falling as she watched tearfully at the dead phone. Tempted to throw it, she paused and glanced around her surrounding, only to find herself at The Lookout.

The Lookout was her sanctuary – a place she always would visit as a child. Although Sora wasn't the best at navigating, she at least had the ability to familiarise herself to particular areas that she'd frequently go to.

It wasn't the same.

Skyscrapers blocked most of the spectacular view that it had once offered. Before she had left Odaiba, she remembered it being the closest area on foot that was closest to home and easy to access. It provided a stunning view of Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay. And, once in a blue moon, she could see the flickering of stars.

She recalled the distant sound of the harmonica, that flew with the graceful wind and lingered in the air. She would sit there, weeping, but feel reassurance when she'd listen to the sound of the instrument.

_I've always loved your mother. Please treat her well while you're there, OK? I'll see you in a year, love._

Sora lied down onto the ground. She grimaced when she could scent the hint of stale tobacco. The patches of black sky she could see dully stared back at her, making her feel more alone than she already had.

There were no stars.

"Dad, I miss you." Sora sobbed.

* * *

**(a/n)** This was nothing, but it was something. Again, it's another slow-paced chapter...but it will slowly get there. Thanks for being patient with me. :) The next chapter will be a tad more entertaining, I think – and there will be Yamato. Heh heh heh.

P.S. (shameless advertising) I've posted another Sorato on this account titled 'Bittersweet Catastrophe'. I don't know what's getting into me lately...


	6. Chapter Six: A Friendship Cult

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter six

**a** **f**riendship **c**ult

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* * *

Sora believed that she could get through the day without anybody noticing.

She had purposely sculpted her hair over her face to disguise her pink, puffy eyes. Last night she had cried her eyes out, which consequently had led to her eyes being swollen that day. The waterworks had been endless. She wasn't the type to cry, but when she did, Sora thought it problematic to stop.

Having made it past three-quarters of the day, it was only during their lunch break over the cafeteria table that Koushiro noted her puffiness.

"Alright there, Sora?"

"Huh?" She asked him, bemused.

When he pointed at her eyes, it was only then that she had remembered that she had spent the night sobbing. Sora had an inkling that if Koushiro shared the same classes she had that morning, he would have easily observed her state.

"Is everything okay?"

Sora made an excuse up, "Only my seasonal allergies. Nothing too special."

"Oh, I see." Koushiro accepted the response, biting into his egg and lettuce sandwich. "You had me worried there."

Although Koushiro was genius, he still was quite gullible to the happenings around him – like how Sora had just lied. It was better that he didn't know, Sora thought to herself, as it saved her from explaining her emotional meltdown yesterday night.

Koushiro's focus drifted back to the laptop, typing up an essay. The computer whizz had the habit of ensuring that he did his homework and assignments at school so that he could game and work on business when he'd get home.

She wondered why Taichi was long with her meal. As she raised her gaze to glimpse past Koushiro and realised that that Yamato had been directly staring at her.

The five minutes into lunch, Yamato had already demolished his instant chicken-flavoured ramen. And, because he had finished his meal in record-timing, Yamato had caught the way how Sora's eyes had uncomfortably shifted when she had fibbed to Koushiro.

His azure eyes questioned her and, in reply, she shook her head. Sora wasn't obliged to tell Yamato and, even if forced or interrogated by anybody else, she'd be reluctant to tell how she felt.

Sora's phone vibrated, fatefully giving her the chance to break the eye contact she had been holding with Yamato. She saw that the message she had received was from Jyou – the person whom she had sat next to on the shinkansen when she had been transiting to Tokyo.

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_**Jyou: **__Are we still up for this Saturday, Sora? I've been spending most of days indoors because I'm too frightened to explore the whole new world alone. Is it me, or does the air seem more polluted here?_

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She let out a giggle when she read the message and typed back.

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_**Sora:**_ _Yes, I remember. Stop being so paranoid. I didn't forget that text you send me two days ago, and the day before that, and the day before that day too. Jyou, I told you that I'd go with you, so you better not be the one bailing on me._

_P.S. And yes, I agree. The air definitely is more toxic here. I'm almost tempted to go back home because of this._

_._

The last sentence was meant to be a joke, but it felt real to Sora.

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_**Jyou:**_ _Sounds like a plan. I don't really want to go to Harajuku because I'm not into weird, cute stuff. I'm probably going to go Akihabara on my own another day because I don't find you the type to like anime. I'm a bit of an otaku in that department, so I'd probably scare you._

_._

Sora laughed again.

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_**Sora:**_ _I like anime if Totoro counts?_

_._

_**Jyou:**_ _No, not at all. There's much more to anime than Ghibli. Remind me some time to lend you my anime DVDs. Perhaps I can convincingly recruit you to the dark side?_

_Anyway, I say we stick to Shibuya for now like we had planned earlier._

_Should we meet by the Hachiko statue?_

_._

_**Sora: **__The dark side? Now we're talking._

_The Hachiko statue it is! Probably a good idea to meet there because it's the only landmark I know how to get to in Shibuya. Is noon a good time to meet?_

_._

_**Jyou: **__It's perfect. I'll see you then._

_._

Satisfied that the details for Saturday were finally confirmed, Sora was about to send one last message until Taichi slid a plate under her nose. He craned his neck over her shoulder and caught the name that flashed on her phone.

"Who have you been excitedly chatting to, Takenouchi?"

"A friend," Sora tersely replied. She pierced into the egg, hungrily munching a spoonful of the omurice.

"Kido Jyou?" Taichi questioned, placing one long leg over the bench and causing his bottom to land next to her. "You're seeing him this weekend? Another guy? Don't you have enough _boy_ friends? Don't we live up to your standards?"

Sora gave him an annoyed scoff. "Can't I eat in peace?"

"You're a heartbreaker," Taichi continued to mock her. He dug his teeth into a salmon onigiri, but it didn't stop him from talking with his mouth full. "Isn't she cruel, guys? She thinks we're not good enough."

"Most definitely," Yamato chuckled out, while Koushiro responded with a brief nod.

Sora whined. "Will you let this go already?"

She could handle it if it was only Taichi teasing her, but she didn't want to put more effort into trying to shut up Koushiro and Yamato, who had evilly chosen to team up on her too.

"So you say no to a foursome?" Taichi creepily waggled her eyebrows at her while the boys guffawed.

Sora shoved him so hard that he almost fell off the bench.

"You're so lewd, Yagami," Sora mumbled over their laughter as she rolled her eyes at them. "Our female classmates avoid me like the plague because you're all my friends. I swear, the other day I heard a rumour of somebody saying I was a gold digger just because I waited for Koushiro by his locker."

"We are handsome, which is why we're bound to have rumours circulating about us," Taichi boasted.

Taichi's confident boasting would have been more effective if it weren't for the noticeable piece of seaweed that was lodged between his teeth. Sora smirked. Out of spite, she decided not tell him. As Sora was going to indulge in Taichi's secret flaw, she found that his shoulders had slouched as soon as she noticed another person join their table.

"Finally. I couldn't battle the fort on my own," Sora exclaimed. "At least I have one dependable _girl_ friend."

"Did I miss anything?" Mimi queried, curiously as she senses the vibe at the table. She tied her hair in a bun, digging a fork into her caesar salad. "Gosh, I'm starved…"

Yamato filled her in, "Sora's got a date."

"It's _not_ a date," Sora denied, sending Yamato a withering glare that he pretended not to see.

"Really now? Wow! Now this _is_ interesting!" Mimi playfully jabbered on in her light, bubbly voice, "Do you have a photo of him? Is he attractive? Go to this school? Younger? Older? Athletic? Mysterious-"

"He's a friend. We're only going to Shibuya."

"Doesn't mean it isn't date," Mimi pointed out. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yes."

Taichi covered his hand over his mouth and coughed, "_Date_."

Sora was surprised that he had finally plucked up the courage to actually say something. Every time Mimi was present, the soccer captain would turn into a bumbling mess. Sora thought of teasing Taichi back, but she figured that despite wanting to see him suffer, she wasn't _that_ horrid of a person.

"If you want, you're all more than welcome to come with me?" Sora offered.

If they weren't going to let this go, she could invite them to prove that Jyou held no romantic intentions for her. Although Jyou seemed like a decent guy, he was still a stranger and having more company with them couldn't hurt. Jyou wanted more friends; so perhaps she could introduce him to hers?

Taichi murmured, "Hmm...if the team doesn't switch Sunday's practice to Saturday, I should be free?"

"Really?" Mimi exclaimed. "I've always wanted to go to Shibuya!"

That sounded promising to Sora. Now that she thought more about it, she wanted more people to tag along. She hadn't been outside of Odaiba since arriving to Tokyo. She also hadn't spent much time, as she wished, with Taichi because he was always on the soccer field. This also meant that she'd have the opportunity to hang out with Koushiro, Mimi and Yamato outside of school - if they were free. Sora had an inkling that Yamato wouldn't because he seemed preoccupied with a gig coming up.

"This Saturday?" Yamato refuted her assumption, "I should be able to make it."

"I've got an online meeting with clients from Canada," Koushiro frowned. "If I get out of it early, I'll see if I can meet you afterwards?"

"Sure."

"Wouldn't we be interrupting you?" Yamato said, surveying her.

"No," Sora denied. "In fact, I'll ask him now."

She went back to the half-typed message.

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_**Sora:**_ _Jyou, change of plans. You reckon it's alright if I bring some friends along? They caught me texting to you and are curious if you exist. Let me know?_

_._

_**Jyou:**_ _That's fine. The more the merrier!_

_._

"Guess we're going to Shibuya then!" Taichi announced. "We'll get to see your boyfriend, Takenouchi!"

It was then that Sora regretted the open invitation. Taichi was _not_ going to let it go. She scowled at him, threatening, "One more word, _Yagami_, and I'll personally go to your house and puncture every single one of your soccer balls."

"That sounds disturbing. Because it's possible that you can be figuratively speaking too, and I'm hoping it is not," Koushiro commented, like the ice-breaker he always was whenever Sora and Taichi would throw aimless remarks at each other.

Yamato grimaced. "Let's hope that's not the case."

"She's a man-killer, this one." Taichi gave a feral grin. "Knows how to put them all in line."

Sora didn't bother to reply to her best friend's foolishness, focusing her attention back to Mimi who was now sipping on some apple juice.

However, Mimi's attention was on Taichi. Her cinnamon shaded eyes studied the soccer captain that, even he, had felt her staring as he had stopped talking. When Mimi finished drinking her juice, she finally spoke up.

"You've got something in between your teeth, Taichi."

Sora clapped a hand over her mouth, refraining a heap of giggles from escaping her. Yamato smirked and Koushiro looked equally amused, as they witnessed their brave, courageous friend's face slowly resemble a tomato.

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* * *

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If Koushiro hadn't reached out to grab her, Sora would have been launched face-first into the gravel.

"Thanks Kou," Sora said, breathlessly. "I can hardly move without stumbling over."

Koushiro laughed. "Welcome to Shibuya."

She had almost been knocked out by one of the thousands of people who had been ambling the streets. Shibuya was busier than Sora had anticipated. It didn't help that it was a Saturday, but she knew that Shibuya was bound to busy weekend or not. Sora remembered being there as a kid, never having felt the extent and wrath of how bustling the place could be. She was sure that the population quadrupled over the years.

"I'm still coming to terms that we survived that big crossing," Jyou said as he eyed the area with extreme caution. Sora noted that Jyou's eyes were bulging out the whole time, taking in the unfamiliar surrounding with fascinated displeasure. "This is horrible."

"No, this is _amazing_!" Mimi declared.

Sora smiled. "I don't know what to think to be honest. My head doesn't have the capacity to do so when there are all these people around me."

"I hope I didn't sound ungrateful because I really am thankful for you taking me out, Sora," Jyou spluttered out. "I think this place may be too crazy for my liking. Your friends have been great though-"

"Jyou!" Sora waved off. "I'm not offended. Despite it being mad busy here, you haven't left yet."

"I'm a lucky guy to have you all here with me. If I was here on my own, I'd surely die."

"You shouldn't think like that," Mimi stated. " Don't be such a pessimist. You need to see the positive things in life too. Here's some advice. I think that-"

"Oh no," Koushiro groaned.

"-if you straighten your shoulders, puff your chest out, smile more and strut, you'd be shocked what a difference it'll make."

Jyou chuckled. "I'm not a female, Mimi."

"You don't need to be," Mimi lectured him. "You make your life work how you want it to."

Sora gave a low whistle. "She does have a point there."

They kept walking on, following the brunette and blond-headed boy who were a couple of metres ahead them. Taichi and Yamato had been assigned as the unintentional tour guides.

Taichi would lead the group, rushing in front to find anything edible. Although all of them had spent a good hour at _Mos Burger_, Taichi's stomach hadn't been filled. He had already downed another chocolate milkshake, ripped through a strawberry crepe, munched on a custard cream puff and recently finished a box of chocolate coated almonds. Unfortunately, now, his eager brown eyes were transfixed on the corner store that specialised in selling steaming pork dumplings.

"No. You are _not_ buying it," Yamato said firmly. His arms folded crossly over his chest as he disgruntledly glared at Taichi like he was his own son.

"You can't stop me, Yama baby!" Taichi childishly stuck his tongue out.

"Call me that one more time and I will abandon you here."

"As if."

"Watch me," Yamato snapped. "You'll probably end up going to Mt. Fuji because you can't even find yourself home without me holding your hand."

Taichi barked back, "I do _not _hold your hand!"

Mimi doubtfully tilted her head to the side and suspected, "Are you sure they're not gay?"

"Don't ask me," Jyou replied instantaneously. "They're not my friends."

In one swift movement, they saw as Yamato snatched Taichi's wallet from his hands.

"Ishida! You give that back!" Taichi's eyes flickered, grabbing onto the collar of Yamato's shirt.

Sora and Koushiro exchanged looks to who would be the one to interfere their friends, until Koushiro succumbed. He sighed, "Fine."

"Jyou, you come with me," Koushiro ordered.

"Why?" Jyou gaped. "They're _your_ friends."

"You're the tallest, most adult-looking and a pre-doctor. You're more influential than I am over them. Just say something about Taichi becoming diabetic or dying in the middle of the soccer field from a heart attack, and I'm sure he'll stop acting like an idiot," Koushiro mumbled under his breath.

Koushiro didn't wait for Jyou to protest because he was pushed Jyou forwards as they made their way to the squabbling duo.

"We should have ditched them and went shopping," Mimi told Sora. "We didn't have enough time at those malls."

Sora had actually praised the heavens that the boys had dragged them out of the mall. The department stores in Shibuya were spread out and larger than Diver City. If they had remained at the department store, it wouldn't be hours they'd be in there for - but days. And, knowing Mimi, she wasn't the type to scan through stores - she liked to examine _everything_. From the most hideous garment, to the most expensive and unaffordable item (that they both knew she wouldn't buy).

Mimi continued speaking, "And you and Jyou?"

"Jyou and I?" Sora queried, raising an eyebrow.

"Sora, you're _totally _friend-zoned."

"Have you forgotten? I wasn't intending to be more than friends with him in the first place, Mimi," Sora bristled.

After intervention from Koushiro and Jyou, Yamato and Taichi were off each other's backs. They were still whipping sarcastic insults at each other, but enough for the group to move on to their next destination that Yamato had been rambling about the whole day.

Although _Book Off _was located in various cities all over Japan, Sora had never ventured into any of the stores. According to her friends, she had been missing out. _Book Off_ apparently resold second-hand DVDs, CDs, games, magazines, books, anime and manga. It was a paradise that she had never known existed. Taichi ensured to tell everybody that it was the devil's playground for Yamato as the latter was known to be an avid enthusiast of the store.

As soon as they had entered the store, the group dispersed to different areas. Yamato was out of Sora's eyesight immediately, Mimi had disappeared to the _shoujo_ manga aisle, Taichi respectively took on the sports magazine area, whereas Koushiro and Jyou fraternised over the gaming section.

Considering Sora didn't feel up for listening to Koushiro and Jyou's engrossed, serious conversation on gaming, nor reading any magazine, book or manga. Instead she was drawn to the music part of the store. She made her way past a few musical genres before stopping at _enka._

Admittedly, Sora didn't know much about music and didn't keep track with the new songs that played on the radio. She knew older music more than modern day pop songs because she would hear them whenever she'd helped out at her her grandmother's store. At first Sora had hated the sound of enka, but after a while she had grown accustomed to the odd, classical sound.

"_Keiko Fuji_?"

Sora's heart skipped a beat. She turned around to see that Yamato was glancing at the CD that she was currently holding in her hands.

"Do you like her?" Yamato asked.

Sora defensively responded to him, "She sounds nice."

"I didn't know you liked enka."

"Yeah. It's weird that I like it, isn't it?" Sora dryly laughed, placing the CD back onto the shelf. She could feel that her cheeks were hotter.

Yamato shrugged. "There's nothing to be ashamed for liking something the majority of the population doesn't like. People like different types of music. If it's a song, tune, melody or lyrics that connect to the listener, then it holds some sort of significance. Music catalyses and caters to various tastes."

"Wow. They were right about you," Sora noted, giving him a slight smile. "You get emotional whenever you talk about music."

"I won't disagree with you there." Yamato sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Do you listen to anything else?"

"Not really," Sora confessed. "Mainly music not from our generation, so now you can say that I'm old fashioned. I won't disagree with you."

"Hey, you know I was joking about the other time, right?" Yamato quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Possibly, but I think you were half telling the truth."

"Guess I got caught." Yamato gave a low chuckle. "Though, I am astonished that you don't listen to more music. I may have to expose you to more genres - not that I'm trying to convert you or anything. I'm not an extremist whenever it comes to a religion."

"Music's a religion now?" Sora questioned, amused. "Should I be scared that you want me to join a cult?"

"Are you _actually_ contrasting music to a cult?" Yamato said in false aghast.

Sora pondered, thoughtfully, "Not at all. I think music should be an indulgence, to appreciate and to play."

"So you play an instrument?"

She had seen Yamato's remark as rhetoric. Sora didn't fancy gallivanting around that she could play an instrument, especially when she knew she wasn't any good at it. Yet, somehow, Yamato had picked it up that she wasn't completely a novice when it came to music. It wasn't information she wished to divulge, but Yamato had cornered her like he always did. Sora preferred not discussing particular things about herself. Nevertheless, if somebody touched the topic of inconspicuous discussion, she wasn't the type to lie about it either.

"Barely the violin. I learned how to read sheet music from it...but if I were to say an instrument." Sora paused for a second, gauging Yamato's reaction as she spoke up, "I play the _shamisen_."

"What?" Yamato balked out. Sora couldn't tell whether he found it funny or was impressed my her revelation. "_Really_? How does it function? Does it have the same strings as a guitar? I've only listened to that instrument in historical dramas on TV! That's fantastic!"

Yamato was _interested?_

It was ironic that the other night her mother's partner had asked her whether she had played an instrument too. However, it felt pleasant talking about music with Yamato even if it was about the ancient instrument. She had kept to herself from her mother, that in actuality her grandmother had taught her how to play the shamisen in Kyoto.

Sora didn't know how long they conversed over the properties of the shamisen, but was humoured how Yamato's eyes would light up as he'd animatedly rant about it.

"Anyway, I value your input because from musician to musician, I've got a major dilemma."

"I'm a musician now, Yamato?"

"You play the _shamisen_," he told her for the millionth time. "And because of this I believe that you must give me a hand at selecting between these two CDs."

"Tell me the details and then _maybe_ I can help?"

"Sure." Yamato held up the CDs in front of her face so that Sora could get a proper glimpse of the contenders. "The first is the limited edition for _BUMP OF CHICKEN_'s first single, which is a rare find. Whereas the other CD is the _B'z_ 10th year anniversary album."

From how Yamato was describing both CDs, Sora knew that he was desperate for both to be added to his collection. He liked them both and she could imagine him being unhappy if he was the shelf the other CD back.

She simply advised, "Get them both."

And so he did.

The rest of the day was a blur and Sora couldn't wipe the grin from her face. Being around with a bunch of people who had various personalities, interests, and a generally optimistic aura was enthralling. Was this what it was like to have friends?

When she got home, she emptied the contents from her bag onto her bed. A new pair of greyish jeans, half a piece of strawberry shortcake she couldn't finish, and a _Thermos_ copper coloured tumbler.

Sora blinked. "What's this?"

Something square-shaped had rolled out of her bed. It was wrapped in a opaque white plastic, taped at the ends. In permanent black marker, there was a message that was written in scribbly handwriting.

_You looked like you wanted this…_

Dumbfounded, Sora unwrapped the plastic and let the content fall into her bare hands. She simpered when she realised the familiar cover of the CD she had almost purchased at the store.

It was the Keiko Fuji CD.

* * *

**(a/n)** Wow, a rare &amp; quick update. Will edit this some other time. Cheers ;)


	7. Chapter Seven: Short Skirts

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter seven

**d**reaming, **t**hieving **&amp;** **s**hort **s**kirts

_._

_._

* * *

Stomach grumbling, Sora wandered out of her bedroom. She was eager to make herself some instant ramen for dinner, but the idea shattered when she found her mother sitting at the dining table.

"You're home." Sora said the first thing that came to her mind.

It wasn't like she had been meaning to be rude by greeting her mother that way, it was just she hadn't expected company that Sunday night. Her mother worked most days, but never had a set schedule – therefore it was difficult for Sora to pinpoint whenever her mother would be home or not. Therefore, it was a mild shock to see her mother anticipatively waiting for her.

Her mother motioned her to take a seat. "Have some dinner."

Reluctantly, Sora gingerly slid onto the seat opposite her mother. She had been content with having ramen for dinner, but she knew her mother had purposely made dinner for the both of them that night.

Raw meat, vegetables and tofu was laid out on plates across the table. In the centre of the table there was a pot of foaming broth that smelled of mouth-watering spices and beef stock.

_Shabu shabu_ wasn't a dinner that was meant to be consumed alone.

There had to be an ulterior reason why her mother had wanted her to sit with her that night. Admittedly, Sora had been avoiding her at all costs, but the same could be said about her mother as well. They didn't feel like a family, but more like housemates who never saw each other, despite residing under the same roof.

"What did you think of him?"

Her mother jumped straight to the point. She was never the type of mother to beat around the bush. She was abrupt, said what was in her mind in an instant, brashly observant and was not one for nonsense whenever it related to what she really wanted.

Even now, Sora thought it was obvious, that her mother had made dinner for them so that she could get Sora's approval on her current partner.

"What do you want me to say?" Sora replied, darkly.

"Well, you haven't said anything about Kazuo since Wednesday." Her mother pointed out.

Sora shrugged. "He isn't dad."

"Of course he isn't Haruhiko," her mother agreed. "But I need you to get along with him, Sora."

"What if I don't want to?" Sora retorted. She knew she was being unreasonable because Mr Yamada was a nice man, but Sora felt the need to instinctively repel against everything her mother said.

Her mother letted out an exasperated sigh. Sora's mother swirled the string of meat into the boiling broth between her chopsticks, placing it inside a bowl and placing it to her.

"He wants us to move in with him."

The meat remained untouched.

Sora stood up from her chair, silently leaving the dining area.

"Please don't be so difficult, Sora." She heard her mother utter.

Sora didn't dare to turn back, ambling back to her own bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

The hunger she had experienced had disappeared, but was replaced with a burning fury that throbbed in her chest. If she had been at the table any longer, she would have exploded.

She knew she was being childish. She had every right to be. It had only been a week and now her mother was trying to discuss to her about moving in with a complete stranger and his son. Sora hadn't even had formed structure in her own life.

How was that fair? Why was her mother so selfish? Why didn't she think about her?

_Why weren't her parents still together?_

The latter question repeated in her head as she stared hard at the ceiling. She shifted to her side on the bed, fluffing up her pillow as she tried to get comfortable.

Why couldn't her family be._..normal_?

She was jealous of Taichi's family. They always had a sense of unity; from Mrs Yagami's bad cooking, Mr Yagami's overbearing laughter, Hikari capturing everything on her camera and Taichi's overzealous knack for disobedience – they still somehow managed to work. But why hadn't her parents?

In her heart, Sora still wanted her parents to be together. Although she had never gotten along with her mother, she wanted her father to be happy. She knew her father still loved her mother, and it frustrated her. She had been foolishly hoping that, one day, her mother would realise what she was doing was stupid and they'd be back together...but now that her mother was thinking of moving in with Kazuo, the chance, the opportunity of her parents rekindling their relationship appeared close to naught.

Not knowing what else to do, she defeatedly pressed 'play' on the remote control. She had left the Keiko Fuji in her CD player from the night before so when the artist's yodelling sounded, Sora couldn't help but smirk to herself.

Enka music continued to filter out of the speakers, diffusing into the air. Her breathing relaxed, eyelids becoming droopy, and in minutes Sora soon dozed off.

.

* * *

_._

Her parents would fight when they thought she was sleeping.

She'd sit up, quilt wrapped around her body as she'd hear them shouting at each other.

"Where were you last night?"

"Does it matter, Toshiko? I'm surprised that you even noticed because you're never home!"

"Don't put it all on me! You know I'm working hard to put food on the table because you're too busy gallivanting around doing whatever the hell you please!"

Sora's toes touched the floor as she slipped on her bunny slippers. She wrapped her furry pink bathrobe around her body, creaking the door open and slinking out into the hallway. She paused in front of her parents' rooms, hearing their voices escalate a decibel higher.

"I'm thinking about Sora. You should be at home more so that you can care for her. Didn't I tell you that we both shouldn't be working-"

"Haruhiko, why would I do that? If I do, you'll have more spare time to research on phoney projects that don't exist!"

"Are you accusing me of lying?"

"What do you expect me to believe? You're the darn hypocrite here!"

"I'm doing what's the best for our family. By you working too much, you haven't been caring for Sora as much. I'm doing it for her best interest."

"Excuse me? And you think I haven't-"

CRASH!

Sora flinched at the sound of another broken vase breaking.

She wanted them to stop, but she knew that once they found her lingering in front of their door, they would send her to sleep and they would continue to argue again. Their fights had become almost a routine now. It had started over a year ago, and with each day that ticked by their quarrelling became more violent, sporadic and absurd.

Sora wanted to get out. She had had enough.

Rarely she snuck out, but it had gradually becoming as frequent as her parents going at each others' throats. She had gained a talent for slipping out of the apartment without either of her parents noticing.

Down the staircase she went, and in time she made her way to her private sanctuary, only to realise that it was no longer her own anymore...

At the lookout there was a boy.

She could hear a sharp pitchy, yet melodious tune radiating from him. It didn't seem electronic, but it had some sort of unique sound that made her curious. Sora stepped closer to him, slightly standing at his side.

There was an instrument, that she had never seen, positioned in his hands. The side of the instrument pressed against his lips as he blew into it to create peculiar sounds.

He was standing right against the railing. He was a few inches taller than she was. His back was facing her, head covered with a woollen navy beanie and wearing pale blue cotton pyjamas.

The boy was roughly around her age. She couldn't tell the colour of his eyes, but they reflected the city's lights as he gazed at the moonlight. He looked different. She had never seen anybody who looked like him. His skin was paler than anybody she knew of, his nose slightly crooked and jaw quite pronounced for somebody of their age.

It was then that Sora recognised that the boy must have been the neighbour Taichi had been telling her about - the blond headed boy who had recently moved around the corner from them.

"Why are you staring?"

Sora blinked, puzzled.

He had spoken Japanese, yet he felt foreign. Sora had thought his voice was that of a tourist, but discarded the thought aside because his Japanese flowed fluently off his tongue. Although, there was a European accent present.

"You're new here," Sora stated the obvious.

He didn't reply, eye staring directly at her. Considering he was facing her, she noted that his eyes were a dark blue. His eyes reminded Sora of the ocean, where she had went with her family last summer for their holiday in Okinawa.

Sora's mother often told her it was rude to stare, but the boy looked at her unwaveringly. His gaze made her look at her feet. She felt embarrassed when she saw her bunny slippers, but couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes.

"Are you trying to run away?" He asked her.

His gaze had followed her eyes, glimpsing the bunny slippers on her feet. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

She pretended to not hear him. "Shouldn't you be inside? Your parents will get mad!"

"It's too stuffy inside and I wanted some fresh air." The boy explained, "My father smokes, you see."

"That doesn't mean your parents don't want you home!"

"He won't we upset at me because he won't know," the boy said, defiantly. "He's working night shift anyway."

"Your mother-"

"She doesn't live in Japan," he cut her off. "How about your parents?"

"I-I," Sora stammered. "That's none of your business!"

The boy shrugged, appearing either tired or bored from their conversation.

He resorted to bending his knees, bringing his body downwards, before sprawling languidly on the cement ground. He rolled onto his back and stared at sky that was gaping up before them.

And, without another word, he placed the instrument between his lips and started producing another song.

Sora was torn between leaving the strange boy and going back to her home.

She didn't understand him, but she found him equally intriguing. However, it did irk her that he had stolen her spot. From her opinion, the lookout had the best view in the city and the boy had treaded on her grounds without her permission, intruding her personal space.

He didn't motion for her to leave, so she decided to stay there as his only audience. She stationed herself next to him, folding her two knees together and leaning back against the railing.

She closed her eyes, feeling the soft breeze touch her skin as she allowed his sedating music to calm was funny because despite them not having had said much to each other, she found his company pleasant.

After the third tune, Sora knew it was time to retreat. She hoped her parents had stopped fighting. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees and as she left, Sora caught the boy salute her a farewell and he replied to her with a terse nod.

When she got back to her room, the apartment was silent. She saw her father was sleeping in the lounge and, as she walked past, heard her mother snoring in her parents' bedroom. They were sleeping separately tonight.

As she entered her own room and tucked herself under her bedcovers, Sora glanced out the window and curiously concentrated outside at the lookout.

The boy was gone.

_._

* * *

.

Sora couldn't remember what she dreamed about the next day.

It was utter luck that she had woken up because Sora had also forgotten to set her alarm on. She barely made it to school on time and now she felt like complete hell.

All she knew, that whatever she had dreamed of had made her exhausted. As she had been too tired, and had forgotten to throw the bedsheets over before she had slept, it was no surprise that she had woken up shivering.

At the lockers, Koushiro muttered to her, "Morning."

She was glad that she wasn't the only one who had a miserable sleep.

From the bags under his eyelids, Koushiro looked like his soul had been sucked out of him. Sora didn't have to ask him to know that he had been gaming all night. Thanks to the computer whizz befriending Jyou, they appeared to have invested a lot of time to _World of Warcraft_.

"What's up, Izzy?" Sora addressed him by his childhood dubbed nickname.

She then tried to beam at him, but she knew she was failing when he replied to her. "Looks like you've gotten the same amount of sleep as I have."

Not knowing what to say, and partly not wanting to think because that required too much effort in the early morning, Sora watched as Koushiro took off his blazer and handed it to her.

"Huh?" Sora blinked, quite transfixed at Koushiro's actions.

"There's a hole under the armpit. Can you fix it for me?"

Sora laughed. When Koushiro, Taichi and her were younger, Sora had the designated role of mending all the holes and tears that the pair would clumsily make at school. It was often to save the boys' parents from finding out and telling them off for being careless. Ever since learning from Koushiro and Taichi's garment misfortunes, Sora kept a mini sewing kit wherever she went.

"How did you even get it there?" Sora questioned. "And you know it's not that bad. I can easily fix it later on. Armpit holes aren't as obvious as crotch holes. You always tended to slip more than Taichi, which I always found funny because you never participated in any sports."

"Gee, thanks," Koushiro mumbled.

Sora rolled her eyes. "What I mean to say, _Izzy_, is that that isn't the real reason why you're here, is it?"

"Possibly," Koushiro sheepishly admitted.

Sora prodded, "_Then_?"

"I just wanted to know," Koushiro awkwardly scratched the back of his head, "What was it that Yamato put in your backpack last Saturday?"

"You saw that?" Sora asked.

She still couldn't get over how Yamato had shiftily placed the Keiko CD in her bag with her even noticing.

Koushiro blabbered on, face tinging pink. "It's just very out of character for him. It's been bothering me all weekend and I don't know how to bring it up. I just can't believe he brought you into the equation. He's usually a good guy and he's not the type to steal and-"

"Oh, _no_!" Sora waved her hands to stop him from projecting his assumption. It astonished her that Koushiro actually accuse the guitarist for thieving. "Yamato didn't steal it at all! You've got it wrong completely!"

"Then why did he put it in your bag when you weren't looking?"

"I don't know why, but he gave it to me like some sort of mini gift." Sora shrugged.

"A gift?" Koushiro mused, eyebrow lifting in wonder.

"I think he wanted to surprise me. He must have seen me ogling at the CD because he knew that I couldn't afford it. It's very kind of him to buy it for me. I should really thank him," Sora rambled.

"Perhaps you should thank him now?" Koushiro suggested, eyes focusing on somebody behind her.

Sora spun around.

A few lockers down, Yamato was currently dialling the combination code. His bag was slung over his shoulder. He must have just arrived to school.

As if feeling eyes on him, the newcomer glanced at them. "Good morning."

"Morning, Yamato," Sora greeted him.

She had thought that Koushiro would follow in pattern, but he pivoted on his heels and dashed away.

"All right already," Yamato sighed. "Can you _please_ tell me what's wrong with Koushiro? I hung out with him yesterday at his home, because I needed help with the music software on my laptop, and he kept looking at me weird and was edgy all day. And now he's running away from me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't worry," Sora giggled. "He was just reading into something and now he probably feels guilty."

"Guilty...about what?" Yamato frowned. "Did I do something to offend him?"

Sora muttered, "Not at all."

"Really?" Yamato sounded worried.

"It's fine. It'll just be today. It's nothing really, Yamato," Sora reassured him. "Oh, and...I just wanted to say thank for getting that CD for me."

Yamato chuckled. "I was wondering if you'd even notice it."

"I wanted to thank you, but I realised I didn't have your number or anything-"

He took out his phone from his pocket. "What's your number?"

Sora told him her digits and when he saved her contact details, he called her so that she could store his phone number as well.

From that movement alone, bystanders walking by – mainly females – that loitered in the corridors had begun to whisper like wildfire amongst each other.

Sora felt her face become hot from all of the unwanted attention.

Yamato glanced at her, then at the group of girls who flocked by, giggling. "Don't worry about them. They're always like this. They think if a guy is a friend with a girl, they're obviously sleeping together. Apparently boys can't be friends with girls and vice versa. Real immature. You'd think they'd stop now that we're in our final year."

"Then I must be an old-fashioned whore," Sora deadpanned, earning Yamato to guffaw.

"Don't let them get to you. If anything, they're probably spreading rumours about me again."

"Why?"

"They always do," Yamato replied. "Last week there was gossip that I was dating a girl over the break, and had cheated on her with three different girls."

She smirked at him. "Wow, you must be busy."

"Tell me about it," Yamato said, slyly. He shut his locker door, carrying his books in one arm. "We've go Maths first period. I might as well direct you because you were late last lesson since you took the wrong turn-"

Sora scoffed. "Ha. You're hilarious."

"I try to be."

As Sora was about to close her locker as well, she then remembered something.

Hurriedly, she fished out her diary and let the pages fall open to where a folded sheet of paper had been placed in the monthly planner section. She pinched the piece of paper out and gave it to Yamato.

"By the way, I just wanted to hand this in to you and tell you that I've finally made my decision."

Yamato unfolded the piece of paper she had given him, and gave a nod of approval.

_-Tennis_

_-Computers_

_-Fashion _

_-Baseball_

_-Literature_

"I was half-scared you'd pick an after school activity out of random," Yamato said. "But you're quite meticulous. You've even listed the pros and cons to every club, not to mention you've selected five and crossed them all except for the top one."

"The process of elimination requires pros and cons." Sora grinned.

She had spent a couple of hours deliberating over every club. She had added Computers and Fashion to her provisional list because she knew Koushiro and Mimi, respectively, were signed up to the two clubs. She had thought about Literature, but she had scribbled the option out because she didn't read as much as she used to. Baseball sounded promising, but she wanted a break from team sports. Being surrounded by a group of people would inevitably cause her to get a migraine, as she was barely handling socialising in her own band of friends. Which, therefore, had left her with tennis.

"That's a shame," Yamato commented. "I would have thought that music would have at least made your short list. Ever since you told me that you played the shamisen, I had hope that you'd join the music club."

Sora said, sarcastically, "When I'm competing against a musical genius like you, why would I want to? You'd probably look down on me."

"Musical genius? I like the sound of that."

"I was joking."

"I was not."

Sora looked at him, shaking her head. "Sometimes I wonder whose ego is bigger; yours or Taichi's?"

"Our egos integrated together can rule the universe."

"Or it could lead the universe to absolute destruction," Sora replied.

Yamato sneered. "You're just jealous."

When they arrived at their destination, Taichi was already looking at them with a withering, sulky glare. While Sora and Koushiro vouched for having horrible sleep, if waking up early was a type of cancer, Taichi would be at his terminal stage. He was the crankiest out of the lot whenever it came to mornings – especially Monday mornings.

Just as Yamato was about to take his seat, he went out of his way to lean close to Sora. There was a twinkle in his eyes when he whispered something to her that only she could hear.

"Did you know, that for their uniform, the tennis club only permits short skirts?"

Sora's eyes widened as she saw Yamato tuck her club application form into his back pocket.

* * *

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**(a/n)** I don't know what to think of this chapter to be honest. It was probably the easiest chapter I've written for this story, as I was pretty much delirious writing this (thank you night shift). Anyway, thanks again for continuing to read it! Have a good week! :)


	8. Chapter Eight: Pink Bunny Slippers

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter eight

**pi**nk **b**unny **s**lippers

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_._

* * *

"How can you get this wrong?"

Taichi scowled at her, "Go home, Takenouchi."

"It's basic multiplication. You should know this. We aren't seven anymore...or do you even know how old you are?"

"I can count, Takenouchi."

She scoffed, "But clearly you can't multiply."

"Go home," he repeated, defiantly.

"You're lucky I'm your friend. This was due last Friday. You do know that our teacher expects this on her desk Monday morning."

"I still have time."

"No. It's Sunday night," Sora reasoned out. She really wanted to hit some sense into him.

"I was busy," Taichi retorted.

Sora disagreed, "You were playing soccer."

"I was training. There's a difference." He twirled his pen and leaned back on his chair. "Besides, you should be home and not on my territory. Something tells me you're hiding from your mother. Whenever you run out of excuses and can no longer use your part-time job, tennis, or school as an alibi, you tell your mother that you're with me - even when you _aren't._ And why is that, Takenouchi?"

"Shut up and do you work, Yagami. And _please _get your stinky feet off the table." Sora then pointed at the equation that was incorrect in the exercise book. "Fix this part up and you'll be able to solve it correctly. I promise you."

"I don't wanna." He stifled a yawn. "It's break time."

"And this is why Yamato gets better grades than you because he _actually _studies. You, on the other hand, are close to flunking."

"Oh?" Taichi arched an eyebrow. "And how would you know that?"

Sora rolled her eyes. "He tells me."

"Would the tell this to you when he walks you home almost every second night?" Taichi gave her a knowing, impish grin. He folded his arms and fondly pouted. "I think he's been seeing you more than I have. I'm jealous."

"Are you implying something?" Sora muttered sardonically. "We're just friends. Like you and I are-"

"No. You and I are classified as childhood friends," Taichi clarified. "Whereas you and Yamato…"

"_Well_?"

Taichi began to scratch the back of his head, lips quirking upwards. "Uh...I mean, well, ah...if you like him. I think you should go for it-"

"_Huh_?" Sora gaped. "Are you kidding me?"

"I think he likes you."

"What?" Sora spluttered out.

It had never crossed her mind that somebody like Yamato would like her. There was no way that could be true. However, behind smirking, but she knew that asides from Taichi's typical mischievousness there was some seriousness in the words he spoke. He wasn't the type of person to bring up gossip - especially whenever it related to romance and infatuation.

Taichi rattled on, "I mean, I like the both of you. You're both my best friends so if the two of you become an item, I'd be fine with it. I just don't want you to separate. It's either you're not together or forever because I don't think I can cope and-"

"What makes you think I even like him?"

Taichi shrugged. "Maybe you don't. But I know that he likes you, Sora. He doesn't usually waste his time on anybody-"

She objected, "He's nice to everybody. After all, he's the class president."

"Who happens to enjoy walking you home," Taichi simpered, earning himself a shove from her.

"Taichi," Sora warned.

"Hey, I'm just telling you how it is," Taichi replied. "And Koushiro supports me because he said that Yamato bought you a CD."

"So?" Sora argued back. She felt slightly betrayed that Koushiro had told Taichi of Yamato's gift to her. She has wanted to keep it quiet from her friends. "Just because Yamato bought me something doesn't necessarily means he likes me-"

"He's giving you unjust, special treatment. He doesn't buy Kou or I _anything_," Taichi grumbled. "Yamato's cheap like that."

Sora stated, "And so are you."

"I buy you strawberry milkshakes."

"_Milkshake_," Sora corrected him. "You've only bought me a milkshake once. Get a job, Tai."

She was purposely making the soccer-nut cease talking about Yamato. Sora couldn't believe Taichi's words. Yamato was, well, _Yamato._ She was enjoying the friendship that she had with him and she didn't want anything more than a friendship. He couldn't possibly like her. Besides, Sora wasn't ready to like somebody.

Taichi suggested, "Perhaps I should work with you then? Mimi visits often after her shopping escapades, doesn't she?"

A faraway voice jumped in. "No way. You're not working with us."

In seconds, Hikari Yagami had joined them. She was sporting a yellow and white sunflower patterned dress witg both of her arms gripping onto a thin, tall and heavy-looking box. Her cheeks were pink, yet there was a vibrant smile plastered on her face. "Sora! You should see what I've bought!"

Taichi said, disapprovingly. "That dress makes you look ugly."

"Ignore him. You look great, Hikari." Sora complimented.

"I always ignore him," the younger Yagami shrugged. "What's this about you wanting to work with us, Tai?"

"Sora called me cheap." Taichi faced his palms out to Hikari. "Give me money."

Hikari gave a sheepish smile, making no effort to donate money to the older sibling. "No can do. I've just spent all my pay on what I have in my hands. This is why I work, onii-san."

Sora got up from her chair and helped Hikari set down the box. Without waiting, Hikari tore the wrapping off. Sora spotted a sticker of the image of what the inside of the box contained.

She laughed. "A camera stand?"

"Of course," Hikari responded, proudly.

"Figures," Taichi mumbled.

Hikari kept speaking, "And guess who I saw in the computer section in Yodobashi Camera?"

"Koushiro?" Sora and Taichi said in unison.

Who else had an obsession with computers, while happened to be all their mutual friend?

Hikari nodded at their assumption. "Looks like he's quite the Casanova. I saw him holding hands with a lady-"

"Koushiro's dating somebody and he hasn't told us?" Taichi exclaimed in absolute aghast.

On the other hand, Sora felt concerned. Hikari hadn't said that it was another girl, but a '_lady_'.

"She's older than us?"

Hikari confirmed, simpering. "Yes. She was wearing office wear."

"_Cougar_," Taichi spat out.

Sora spoke in an over-protective tone, "She might be after his money."

"Can't you guys at least have some faith in him? Koushiro isn't exactly what you call brainless. I'm sure he has his reasons why he's kept her from us. And by her being older may be one of the reasons why he won't tell us." Hikari sighed. "Besides, his maturity level has always been higher than ours so it suits him that he is with someone older. Anyway, he might have a thing for older women…"

"Who knew that little Koushiro would be scoring before any of us; even if he has a _fetish_ for older women." Taichi shuddered.

"She didn't look _that_ old." Hikari said, "I think she looked pretty."

"I don't like her," Sora replied.

"You guys are impossible. Can't you see? Everybody is dating whoever nowadays. It's not your position to be all prejudiced and...well, I'm sure if you liked somebody you'd understand."

"And who do you like, _sister_?" Taichi hissed. "Your dress is shorter than usual-"

Sora saved Hikari from an escalating sibling argument by interrupting Taichi's sentence. "Taichi's just jealous that Koushiro's manned up and has got a woman, while he doesn't have the guts to ask Mimi out."

Whenever Sora told Taichi that she thought it was cute; Taichi would glare daggers at her.

If Taichi was taking a stab at Koushiro, Hikari and even Sora's love life, Sora thought it was about time she corner him too. After all, Taichi's crush on Mimi was getting worse with every day that had passed. Everything paled and was fictional in contrast to the evident awkwardness between the soccer player and the foreigner. It was the school's gossip because the pair had confident personalities, but they turned into blubbering messes whenever they faced each other.

"Mimi, huh?" Hikari giggled. "You fancy her, big brother?"

"They both fancy each other," Sora snorted.

"How would you know?" Taichi grumbled.

Sora laughed. "Are you kidding me? She's been leaving hints everywhere, Taichi. Every time she sees you, I see her hitch up her skirt and strut around with her chest forward. She's practically begging for you to make a move."

"Gosh, you're hopeless." Hikari poured herself a glass of water before heading to her bedroom. "Any bet I'll be getting married before you."

Taichi scrunched up a piece of paper and aimed it at the back of his sister's head, but missed as she disappeared from their sight. There was a reason why he played soccer and not baseball. He rested his feet up on the dining table again, switching the television on and after browsing through a series of channels, he settled for an amateur soccer game.

Sora lectured, "You're meant to be doing your homework-"

"Screw that. My studious state has evaporated because you were bullying me," Taichi sulked.

She was about to reply that he was never studious to begin with, but she didn't want to contribute more to Taichi's foul mood. Sora knew that the best way to deal with Taichi whenever he was like this, was to let him mope it out. He'd get over it eventually.

The camera soon focused on the red soccer team. The team was getting scolded by their coach. The coach zeroed in on a particular soccer player and began to reenact a certain move from the last quarter, where the soccer player had foolishly lost them the soccer ball.

Taichi sighed. "How _do_ you make a move, Sora?"

His eyes were steadily leering at the television screen, but Sora knew he wasn't talking about soccer anymore.

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* * *

She letted out a sigh, glancing at the other female students rather apologetically.

"Sorry guys. I'll be back in a sec."

Sora retraced her steps, entering back inside the empty school corridor. It felt eerie being at school when there weren't any students loitering around. She felt like that she was in a scene from a horror movie. Sora tried to not think anything of it as she had a weak stomach whenever she thought of spirits, ghosts, possessed entities, blood, gory torn off limbs and zombies. The whole works unnerved her, which was why she wanted to slip in and out of the building as quickly as possible.

"Darn it," she uttered under her breath, frustrated at herself.

When she arrived at the tennis court, Sora knew that she had to turn back the way where she had come from. Had she been _that_ tired to not notice that she had forgotten her tennis racket?

Exams were next week, but the biggest factor that contributed to her mental and physical fatigue was that she had recently moved into her mother's partner's apartment the week before.

Just when she thought there was finally routine in her life, Sora had to adjust to a new living environment yet again. She had compromised with her mother that she'd be happy to move in at the end of semester, and now that Sora thought about it – she knew it had been the wrong move. Was she _that_ thick headed to forget that school was the busiest around that time? She blamed it on homeschooling. She often forgot how busy things could get while attending an actual school.

Sora hadn't regretted her decision. It was preferable that she had moved into Mr Yamada's place later in the semester as opposed to having to move out during the third week she had transferred to Tokyo. Her mother had reluctantly agreed to her, and it was a good thing she did because although Sora and her mother weren't on the best of terms, they managed to build an odd – yet respectable – rapport with each other.

Additionally, the move in had forced her to adjust to her future father-in-law and stepbrother. Mr Yamada's son was surprisingly a nice guy despite hardly being at home. It was incredibly helpful that bot the Yamadas were relatively pleasant which made the transition to their home easier than she had anticipated.

When Sora retained her racket from the locker, she heard voices float out of one of the classrooms.

"...drop a subject or your extra-curricular activities."

A familiar voice replied, "But sensei! I don't want to."

"Your grades are falling, Yamato-san."

Sora froze outside the doorway of the particular classroom. She didn't want to listen in on their conversation, but curiousness got the best of her.

"I can make it work. I can-"

"You have potential. Didn't you say in tenth grade that you wanted to study engineering or astronomy, with plans to be an astronaut? Or were you lying? You've got the grades for it. Ever since_ that_ band was formed, it feels that you've lost insight."

"I still want to pursue it, but I also love music."

Mr Masaki protested, "You're taking too much on. Working at the local CD store, the founder of the school's music club, the class president and the vocalist for _some_ teenage band. I'm proud that you're doing this much, because it clearly shows that your leadership skills are great – but is this what you really want? You have so much potential, Yamato-san."

"I'm happy with what I'm doing right now."

"This is your _future._ Music isn't going to be there for you always. Tokyo University won't take you in if your grades aren't good enough," their teacher said, sternly.

"_Please_, sensei."

"I won't allow you to be the school's music club or class president if your grades drop further. Perhaps consider leaving the band?"

"No. I can't let my bandmates down."

"Then you want to let yourself down?"

"I...I don't know."

Sora cringed at how defeated Yamato's voice sounded.

Mr Masaki sighed, "You can't be perfect in everything, Yamato-san. You're not a superhuman. Even somebody like you can break at some point..."

.

* * *

Her body ached all over, but Sora felt good.

Sora stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She hummed a random melody as she dried her hair. It was always good to have a nice shower after a hard day's work.

Tennis was definitely her new thing.

There was something about playing the sport, or doing any strenuous activity that made her happy. She liked sweating it out. She liked being fit. In Kyoto, she'd go for strolls or jogs through the winding bamboo forest pathways or, if the weather was ideal, she would leisurely boat down the Hozu river. Those activities were nothing close to when she'd sweat it out playing soccer, but it had been her replacement form of exercise.

She did not regret joining the tennis club. Once Sora had gotten her head around the rules (and the short skirts that Yamato and Taichi often teased her about), she found tennis quite enjoyable. Sora found that she felt less stressful than soccer, as there weren't many members and the team was easy to get along with. Additionally, the team wasn't expected to compete in competitions, so playing tennis was generally fun. Her peers told her that she was skilled at the sport, but it was only when she stumbled across her mother's old school yearbook, when moving into the Yamadas, that Sora had discovered that her tennis talent may have presumedly been inherited.

Sora should have noticed it when she had told her mother that she had taken up tennis. Instead of dismissing the sport, like her mother had previously done with soccer, Ms Yokoyama had given her an approving nod because - apparently - it was fine to play tennis because it was a 'female' sport. Sora had rolled her eyes when her mother had said that to her. She wondered if it would ever be possible to get along with the woman.

However, it was probably the one thing that Sora thought she had in common with her mother.

Sora slipped on her slippers and wandered into the hallway. Usually she would have brought a change of clothes with her, but since she was home alone she had decided not to.

She liked having the house to herself. Thursday nights meant both Mr Yamada and her mother worked over time and Mr Yamada's son – Yutaka - would be teaching piano. There was nothing she had against the Yamadas. They were pleasant, courteous people and she could tolerate them. However, at times, Sora needed her own space.

Her alone time was abruptly disrupted when she found herself startled and staring at a group of boys that were at the end of the hallway.

"_Argh_!" She screamed out, mortified.

Sora immediately recognised who they all were and immediately groaned out loud.

_Why hadn't he mentioned to her that he'd be home early? Why hadn't he told her that he was the keyboardist to Yamato's band?_

And _Yamato_...

Yamato was standing in front of them all, sly grin forming on his lips. Yutaka gave a small guilty smile, Akira gave a low whistle as he pervertedly surveyed her, while Takashi was as astonished as she was, forcing himself to inspect the tiny cracks on the ceiling instead of how inappropriately dressed she was.

Her cheeks were hot. Sora blamed this all on Yutaka.

"Whoa Sora. Looking fine as ever," Akira chuckled, adding a spurious lecherous wink for kicks.

"Get out," she replied with a strangled sigh.

Sora wanted to kill him. Who cared if he was her darn manager? She wanted him out of her house!

Her face felt, if it was possible, _more_ inflamed. She was certain that it rivalled the own colour of her hair. She felt torn between greeting the boys and running to her room which was, unfortunately, right next to where they stood. She grimaced, realising that they were blocking her way and that she couldn't and wouldn't be able to escape from their endless mocking.

Knowing that she'd have to deal with their impending teasing, Sora bravely strode forward. She needed to at least put on some decent clothing before she could fire them insults.

"Hey Sora," Yamato started. There was a twinkle of amusement in his blue eyes.

She deflected his gaze.

"Nice pink bunny slippers."

Not bothering to reply, she pushed Yamato out of the way, slipping into her bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. Sora had now known Yamato well enough to catch the taunting in his reserved tone - and she wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with his jibes. One more push or prod at her temper, and Sora was sure she would have exploded.

Sora pulled on a long grey shirt and black leggings. She then collapsed tummy-first on top of her bed, burying her face into the pillow as she violently kicked her feet in the air, in an attempt to disable her embarrassment.

_What did she ever do to ask for this? _

Sora had wanted to bask in her alone time, but now she couldn't do it because the thought of being in the same house as the guys who had practically seen her naked didn't settle well with her sanity.

There was a knock on her door.

"Are you dressed?" She heard Yutaka speak up in his distinct calm voice.

She exhaled out when she realised that it wasn't Yamato who had been knocking.

"Yeah."

Yutaka took her answer as permission to enter her room. He opened the door and sat at the edge of her bed.

"Sora, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Sora said, sighing. She knew that Yutaka hadn't done it intentionally to humiliate her in front of his bandmates. "Though, next time, a heads up or a simple text could do the trick. Thanks to you, the boys will never shut up. Do you know how much I have to bite my own tongue in front of Akira? And now he'll be _harder_ to cope with at work."

"He's one of a kind."

"He's an idiot," Sora told him, offhandedly.

"Can you keep it a secret from dad though?" Yutaka said, playing with his thumbs. "He doesn't know that I play in a rock band. He'd have a fit if he found out I was playing a different genre asides from classical."

"My lips are sealed." Sora negotiated, "Only if you find a way to shut up your band members from seeing me in nothing but a towel and my bunny slippers."

Yutaka chortled in agreement. "Fine."

From the rare times Sora had bumped into her future stepbrother, she found his presence soothing. He wasn't shy, but he was soft spoken and polite. Mr Yamada prided his son for his musical talent, and Sora supported Mr Yamada's thoughts of how good of a musician Yutaka actually was as she'd always hear him play from her bedroom. Yutaka was a genius and everything that he played was natural and melodious. His music could paint colours in a room, from a sorrowful dark blue piece to a thrilling and suspenseful, scarlet romance.

"I don't know why I hadn't noticed it earlier. They never spoke of your name, but I did know there was a new person that Yamato had been hanging out with recently. And Akira has described you as this alluring leggy redhead..."

Sora laughed. "I wouldn't have pieced you to be in a band either. I had met Takashi, but I never asked about you. If they had said your name, I might have linked your name to the band. They said that you were at a piano competition every time you were absent for their practices. If only I had known."

"It's a small world if you ask me." Yutaka took his glasses off and cleaned the lens with the end of his shirt. "Anyway, since you're here and the walls in our house aren't exactly soundproof, did you want to listen to us rehearse?"

"Wouldn't I be intruding?" Sora had been curious of the band for a while.

She wanted to see the result to all their hard work and relentless practicing. And, the thought of Yamato speaking up against Mr Masaki about his love for music, and loyalty in the band, still burned in her mind. Why was Yamato fighting so hard for a band and career that wasn't certain or stable?

"No," Yutaka responded. "Seriously, Sora. You already know the band. I'm sure they wouldnn't mind another person listening in. You can be our audience. Feel free to clap or boo whenever you want to."

"Tempting. The booing part sounds enticing, but-"

Yutaka wouldn't take 'no' for answer. He had wriggled off the bed and used Sora's wrist to yank her up.

"Then you can be our fangirl for today."

Sora discarded her pink bunny slippers under her bed and opted to walk barefooted, hastily wishing that the blush on her cheeks would disappear.

.

* * *

**(a/n)** I wanted to post this chapter up 2 weeks ago, but it took a while because I didn't know which scenes to include in this chapter. In other words, my word document had a bunch of misc scenes everywhere, so I needed to categorise them into multiple chapters. Which meant that I was also unintentionally writing scenes for the future chapters as well. Anywho, I estimate 16-18 chapters all up.

OK, I'll stop babbling to disguise my slow update now xD

P.S. Thanks for reviewing _Guest!_

_\- I'll edit this another time ;)_


	9. Chapter Nine: Imperfections

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter nine

**i**mperfections

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* * *

Sora wasn't alone.

It was unfair that Sora now had to share her secret spot with the boy, especially when she had found The Lookout first. She tried to hide her scowl when she surveyed the boy blowing into the harmonica. The boy paused playing the instrument when he saw her.

"You're here again."

Sora replied, folding her arms together. "So are you."

The last and first time she had seen him was two weeks ago. She visited The Lookout more frequently now and had noted that had never returned to the place. It wasn't because she had been eager to see him again; but because her parents' aggressive bickering had gotten worse. She hated hearing them yell at each other on the top of their lungs...at least the music the boy was playing was somewhat therapeutic.

She gazed curiously at the instrument that was resting in the palm of his hands.

"That's a harmonica," she stated.

At first she hadn't known what the instrument was, but after some thorough investigating and describing the instrument to her father, she had gotten her answer. Her father had always been more patient and knowledgeable in contrast to her mother.

"My mother gave it to me." The boy shrugged. Considering he had brought up the topic about his mother, he continued to speak, "Are your parents still fighting?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"I live in the opposite building from yours. Your windows are open at night."

Sora looked guiltily at her feet, knowing it was her fault.

Every night she liked to open the windows in her room, whether it be during winter or summer. She liked the rush of air that filtered into her room, despite her mother's complaining of her catching a cold.

She hadn't meant for the neighbours to hear. However, when Sora thought about it that, the boy wouldn't have heard her parents' arguments if he hadn't left his windows open too.

As if reading her train of thoughts, he explained, "My father smokes like a chimney; I need to let out the air somehow..."

"Don't tell anybody," Sora whispered, not letting him finish his sentence.

She wasn't sure why she wanted the boy to keep quiet because it wasn't like he knew anybody that she knew. Still, she wanted to keep her parents' fighting hushed amongst the neighbours. After all, it wasn't a pleasant topic to have spread around about her family. She'd rather avoid it at all costs.

"I won't," the boy replied. "Back home, everybody talked about my family and it wasn't nice at all..."

"Why?"

He didn't reply, giving a wry smirk before gazing up at the sky. He stopped playing. Stars sparkled above them. For that moment, they remained frozen and quiet. They light breeze brushed past them and the distant sound of engines mumbling from the vehicles driving past replaced their conversation.

However, Sora couldn't leave it like that. If he wasn't going to talk; she would.

"They...they want to separate."

She didn't know why she was telling him. There was some sort of solace she obtained from talking to the peculiar boy. He understood her somehow, even if he wasn't all that talkative.

Sora could never bring herself to talk about this sort of thing with Taichi. The soccerhead's life was problem free. Her best friend would rave on about soccer and she definitely knew that he would not relate at all to what she was going through. After all, the Yagamis were a perfect family; a perfect family that Sora didn't have.

He asked her, "Is it bad if they do?"

_Were her parents better off separated?_

She stared blankly at him. Sora had never thought of the option because she didn't want her parents to separate. She was completely against the idea, but the boy did have a point.

Sora didn't understand the boy's thought process, yet she preferred that he was speaking honestly than pretending to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"Maybe? I don't know. But aren't married people meant to stay together?" Sora mumbled. "It's nothing like the fairytales that they teach us at school. They love each other though. Love is meant to be forever. I don't understand why-"

"People fall out of love, I guess."

Her eyes narrowed at him, upset that he had reached a dreadful conclusion. What right did he have to judge her parents when he didn't know them? Why did he act like he knew everything?

She frowned. "How would you know?"

"Adults aren't always perfect."

Sora gazed up at him, questioning. His blond hair almost appeared white as the wind threaded through his hair and lifted the strands away from his eyes. When he looked at her, she saw his blue eyes glimmering with disguised sadness.

The boy revealed, "My parents are divorced."

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.

* * *

She stood by herself and sipped on the non-alcoholic beverage.

Sora dissected the environment around her.

University students graced the venue, attired in their finest clothing that consisted of classy suits and cocktail dresses. It was a scene that Sora had never imagined herself to be in; a scene that did not suit her the slightest. Formal parties were something that she'd never get accustomed to. During her shift yesterday, Hikari and Miyako had warned Sora that the ball would most likely be a luxurious and expensive event since the venue was set at Roppongi Hills.

It was lucky that Mimi had helped her choose a dress that night. If Mimi hadn't mentored her on what to wear, Sora would have turned up in a long denim skirt and white shirt. Now, that would have been a disaster. Sora flinched to herself, picturing how it was possible that she might have turned to be biggest fashion failure of the night.

What had been Sora thinking when she had noncommittally said a 'yes' to be Jyou's guest?

She awkwardly looked on as the students talked amongst each other. The more she gazed on, the more she realised that she must have looked like a fish out of water.

Everybody seemed to know each other.

The students weren't all stand-offish because, Sora had to admit, a few had been accommodating and had tried to make her feel comfortable. Although, some boys had flirted with her. Nonetheless, whenever the university students found that she had no aim to study at Tokyo University, had no idea what she planned to do post-graduation, was Jyou's plus one, and also spoke with a thick Kansai dialect, they tended to gravitate away from her.

Not that Sora minded being left alone.

She despised this type of socialising - especially when people were trying to one up the other to prove who was better than the other financially or intellectually. It made her feel sick. At least Jyou wasn't like any of them.

_Jyou…_

The blue-haired boy with glasses was wandering back towards her. Sora had left him to talk to his Bioscience teacher, yet the person latched on his arm was not the same teacher she had distinguished him to be with earlier.

Sora held back a giggle when she watched as Jyou's cheeks went pink when his new companion had whispered into his ear.

"I got you a drink," Jyou muttered to Sora when he was within her hearing range.

She waved down his offer, pointing at her orange juice. "I'm good. So…are you going to introduce us?"

"Oh," Jyou stammered, voice shaking. "This is Jun. Motomiya, Jun. She's my partner whenever we do lab practicals. And, um, well...this is Takenouchi Sora. She's my friend."

"Friend?" Jun repeated. Sora could have sworn she saw discern and doubt flash in her hazel eyes. She released her hold from Jyou's arm. "Are you dating?"

Jyou stuttered, "Ah-I-what I'm trying to say-"

"-is _no_!" Sora stepped in, attempting to save and salvage Jyou from making a fool out of himself.

Mimi had often queried whether Jyou fancied Sora; but Sora had denied it. Whenever Jyou addressed Sora, she could tell that he held no attraction towards her as he nowadays even had titled her as his little sister. At first she couldn't tell, but that trip to Shibuya had determined where the relationship laid.

The only reason why Jyou had invited Sora to the university ball was because he didn't want to talk to his other classmates, didn't have the guts to ask a girl he liked out (which Sora now knew was Jun) and because he didn't want to go by himself.

"Can't you tell that he likes you?" Sora said, then immediately clasped a hand over her mouth. In the effort to try and save Jyou from acting foolish, Sora had inevitably added fuel to the fire.

Jun held her head high and shrugged. "Yeah, I already knew that."

Jyou looked like he was about to faint. "You-_what_?"

Jun ran a hand through her short, spiked-up cinnamon shaded hair. Although it was a rare hairstyle, Sora thought it suited the older girl because she somehow made it work. Her dress was silver and clung to the right curves, but instead of radiating seduction Sora believed that she emitted more spunk and confidence.

"I was waiting for him to ask me out," Jun smirked as Sora couldn't control her giggling anymore. Nevertheless, Sora could see Jun let out a sigh of relief. "I guess Jyou's just slow whenever it comes to this. I've been making all the moves all this time. I was beginning to think he chased the other team, if you know what I mean? But then again, Jyou's slowness might be related to how he was born and bred in Nagoya. Don't you think, Sora?"

"Don't diss my hometown!" Jyou barked, which earned the girls to laugh more at him.

Jun pouted. "But it's true. I've been hanging for you to ask me out all semester."

"Really?" Jyou blushed.

Sora smiled, watching the two argue amongst themselves. When they started trying to force each other to admit when they first realised that held feelings for each other, Sora thought it was finally to speak up.

"I'd better get going now."

Jyou turned his head at her. "But-"

"Come on Jyou, I've been her long enough and now you've got better company. I don't want to ruin your first date-"

"First date?" Jun gaped, eyes wide like a deer under headlights. "I...I didn't realise this! You'd better give me a kiss later then, Jyou!"

"Sora!" Jyou complained, exhaling out in exasperation. "You've got to save me from her. She's annoying-"

"You're the one who likes her," Sora winked. "No really, guys, I should go soon. I live on the opposite side of town. I don't want to get home too late…"

Jun protested, "It's not even seven. Besides, we should celebrate you being the wing-woman."

Sora shook her head. As much as she didn't mind the pair, she didn't want to third wheel.

Besides, she was getting hungry. The venue only served finger food and by the time the server would reach her, the platter would be empty. She was planning to stop by a Family Mart and eat instant ramen. The repetitive thought of ramen made her mouth water and encouraged her to escape the ball.

After exchanging goodbyes, Sora exited and took an elevator down to the bottom floor. The venue had been inside one of the wealthiest and renowned hotels in Tokyo, therefore Sora wasn't phased when she saw the line-up of foreign restaurants upon reaching ground level.

In front of the series of restaurants, food displays were leering at her. The displays that were moulded to appear like the meals that each restaurant served made her stomach growl because of how real the food looked.

Her original intention of going to Family Mart faded, when she walked past an expensive Italian Restaurant. She could whiff the fresh smell of baked pizza as she ambled past. Although Sora loved pizza, she was in the mood to try something different - something she hadn't had before.

Sora rationalised in her head...if she had made it all the way to Roppongi Hills, why not eat around the area? Why not treat herself? It wasn't like she feasted on expensive meals on a daily basis, therefore forking out some money for dinner that night couldn't be that bad…

Perhaps she'd try French?

As she opened the door to the restaurant, the bell chimed. Instantly, a waiter was at her side, angling his back forward into a deeper bow than normal, inevitably making her feel embarrassed. She had to refrain herself from pivoting back around on her heels and exiting out the door.

"Welcome," the waiter kindly greeted. "Mademoiselle? Table for…"

"One please," Sora said quietly. With every second that ticked by, she was beginning to regret having stepped into the expensive restaurant.

Nevertheless, she followed the waiter as he led her to a table besides a window.

Sora observed how the waiter fitted the restaurant. He wore a straight-cut vest, a pristine white long-sleeved shirt underneath and grey pants. His uniform looked expensive, coinciding and fitting well with the restaurant's ambience.

The wallpaper that surrounded the room had an elegant white and dull gold jacquard pattern, while the ceiling was painted in beige and texture. Above her head, glittering crystals shaped like diamonds draped down from the chandeliers. Instead of wanting to take a seat on the red upholstered velvet chairs, Sora was tempted to crawl under the table. And she had thought the university ball had been uncomfortable…

She took a seat down, her hunger making her immediately study the menu displayed before her. The menu was written in French with katakana positioned under each word. Sora knew that even if she were to read anything from the menu, she would pronounce it wrong. Fortunately, there was description of each meal in Japanese. Yet, she grimaced at the cost because everything on the menu - even the entrées - were above two thousand yen.

When the waiter returned, "May I take your order?"

After Sora had finalised her selection, she responded, "The onion soup please."

"Just the soup?"

"Just the onion soup," Sora confirmed.

The waiter gave her a stiff nod before leaving her.

As Sora raised her glass of water to her lips, she found herself listening to a table at the opposite side of the room. It wasn't hard too considering that that table was the other occupied table that was visible, subsequently making them being the only customers in the restaurant.

"...bad grades. Fair enough if you're not getting good marks in English; but Japanese, Yamato? Shouldn't you know how to speak your own language?"

"My grades have gone lower, but they're not below average," a familiar voice coldly responded. "_Mother."_

Sora couldn't help but openly look at them now. She instantly identified Yamato, even if he was sitting with his back turned to her. Sora also recognised Takeru sitting in front of him, and a beautiful middle-aged lady at Takeru's left side.

She had only heard Yamato mention his father in the conversations that they had. Sora knew he had a mother, but he never talked about her. And, as Yamato had spoken to his mother, Sora could tell that they weren't on the best of terms. Yamato reserved that tone of voice to people he wasn't familiar with (never the elders, Sora noted), or whenever Taichi stepped over the line with his pesky teasing.

"Of course you inherited your father's stupidity, putting hobbies before the real things that truly matter. Music won't get you anywhere, Yamato. If you stop it, then you'll have more time to focus on other things...like your studies for instance! Haven't I told you this countless of times?"

"Not really," Yamato leaned back on his chair. "Seeing that you technically never see me. The last time I saw you was at the start of the year. And what's the month now? Oh right, it's November. I wouldn't be here if Takeru hadn't convinced me."

Sora noticed how Yamato's mother's lips twitched into a scowl. It was only for a split second, but she recognised the resemblance between mother and son. That, and their clear and unwavering stubbornness.

Yamato's mother snapped, "Maybe because when I do invite you, you tend to always decline. You never reply to my messages or pick up the phone when I call."

"I've been busy," Yamato muttered in agitation, voice ascending to a higher decibel. "Anyway, it's not like you made an effort when you took Takeru to France for the year without telling me or dad."

Takeru tried to stop him, "_Yamato_! Mother! Can't the two of you get along for just once?"

"It's your brother who isn't talking to me properly, Takeru," the woman accused.

"And what _exactly _is there for us to talk about? All you do is lecture and tell me where I'm going wrong. At least dad isn't like you."

"Don't compare me to your father. We are nothing alike."

"And good riddance for that," Yamato sourly stated.

Sora had thought that when she was bickering with her mother it was terrible enough, but Yamato's remarks and retorts back to his mother were on a whole different level. His harsh words had a bite to them, having the potential to hurt the receiving person in a psychological manner. It was no wonder Taichi had warned her to never get on Yamato's bad side.

Their fighting, luckily, came to a halt as the waiter served them their meals. Sora took another sip from her glass, fiddling with her phone and replying to messages that she hadn't to respond to.

"Hey!" A voice yelled out.

She continued to type on her phone.

"Sora! Hey!"

She lifted her head to the table she had been scrutinising earlier.

It was Takeru who had called out to her. The younger boy was frantically waving his hand in the air, and there was a strained grin on his face. "Come join us!"

"_Uh_…"

Yamato's back was still to her, and Yamato's mother was using a fork to pick at a muscle on her plate.

Takeru was already ushering for the waiter to place a new set of cutlery on the vacant seat next to Yamato. Sora inwardly wanted to groan. She didn't know Takeru that well, but from the little words she shared with Hikari about him, Sora knew he could be cunning and scheming whenever he had to be.

Sora easily read through his plan. Takeru was hitting two birds with one stone; he was saving her from eating by herself, while using her as an excuse to alleviate the tension between Yamato and his mother.

Knowing that she could no longer get out of the situation, as the waiter had even taken it to his duty to move her glass of water over, Sora migrated to the other side of the room and took a seat next to her classmate.

She glanced at him, expecting a short nod of acknowledgement or some form of greeting, yet Yamato sat there rigidly. He held onto his fork and knife as sliced into the beef brisket.

Sora gazed across her and found bright blue eyes studying her.

"And you are?"

The woman threw her off guard. Sora wasn't used to this type of greeting. Was it because Yamato's mother was a foreigner, or was it because she was still recovering from the argument with her son?

Despite the woman's bluntness, Sora could finally observe the woman up close. Yamato's mother was a lethal combination of beauty and intimidation.

Yamato's mother was graced with defined features that had passed on to her sons, from the striking blue eyes to the structured jawlines. Her hair was cropped right under her ears. While Yamato and Takeru's hair was a nice sandy blond, the woman's hair was a dark blond that it could almost pass for a light brown. The woman daringly wore a low-cut black laced top, displaying off a gold necklace that was decorated with extravagant, gleaming rubies.

"I'm Takenouchi Sora."

"One of Yamato's classmates," Takeru added in.

"And I'm Takaishi Natsuko." The woman queried, suspiciously. "How do you know her, Takeru?"

"She comes to see my games often. She's good friends with the Yagamis. Sometimes when I pick up Hikari from Starbucks, I see her there too."

"You're still talking to Hikari?"

"Why can't I?" Takeru's cheerful tone disappeared, face darkening.

"Her brother is too soccer-crazed. I don't want you being influenced by them too, Takeru. I don't want you distracted by their foolish tendencies."

Sora couldn't hold her tongue any longer. How dare the woman criticise her best friend? How-

As she was about to speak, Yamato reached under the table to hold her hand. Sora glanced at him and even though he hadn't spoken a word, Sora understood. Yamato would handle it.

"Taichi's been scouted at almost every game," Yamato said. "There's nothing wrong with him doing what he wants to do."

"He won't get anywhere. You forget that he is too young to decide for himself."

Yamato looked furious. He could take his mother insulting him; but insulting anybody else appeared to not sit well with him.

"And you forget that he is my best friend too."

To everybody's surprise, Yamato stood up.

He stood up. In the process, Sora felt her body get lurched up alongside with him. She had momentarily forgotten that Yamato had still been holding her hand. He pulled her along to the exit.

Takeru called after them. "Yamato-"

"We're leaving." He closed the door behind them.

.

* * *

She kept silent as she fell in step behind him.

The sky was dark, dusk finally kicking in and it was then that Sora knew why the district was praised for its nightlife. The city lights in Roppongi sparkled. People gallivanted the streets. Friends clubbing the night away, families indulging in over-priced cuisines, lovers going on dates.

Their surrounding was lively, but Sora knew that Yamato wasn't in the mood for any of it. He was stalking down the cement steps leading down to the subway. They were going back to Odaiba.

Sora was shivering and starving, but she couldn't leave Yamato alone. Although he had kept quiet from the moment they had stormed out of the restaurant, Sora had decided that it was not the right time to speak - especially when Yamato was on the edge of exploding.

Instead, she wrapped her scarlet shawl tighter over her shoulders and hurried along.

He paused mid-step, craning his neck at her. "Sorry."

"For what?" Sora said.

"Dragging you into this."

"I'd say it was more your brother who had," Sora gave him a small smile; a small smile that Yamato failed to return.

He said, reluctantly, "You don't need to follow me back home. If you want to leave me and…"

"I'm not leaving you," Sora said. She went a step lower so that she could look directly at him in the eyes. "Why would I do that?"

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "What's in it for you?"

"There's nothing in it for me!" Sora fumed, irritated that Yamato had thought lowly of her, although she knew that he was only acting that way because he was still peeved. "_I care about_-I-uh-Just because you encountered your mother doesn't give you the reason to act like a jerk!"

Sora shoved him on the shoulder, walking past him.

As she went down another step, she felt Yamato grab her by the waist and pulling her towards his body. Sora stared up at him, eyes questionable. It took her a second to realise that a group of kids raced after each other. Their rushing down the staircase would have naturally made her trip over because she hadn't noticed them.

Yamato's eyes were over her head, not looking at her. When she was about to utter something to break the awkwardness, Sora watched as he slipped off his leather jacket and placed it over her shoulders.

"Aren't you freezing?" he said.

Sora had been running late to the university ball, that she had left her coat at home. She thought she could survive the weather, but now that it was night time, the breeze had become colder.

Despite being grateful for Yamato's actions, she retorted, "More like famished."

She then explained about how she hadn't had a meal since the afternoon because she had rushed from work to home to get ready for the ball. How she had to leave Jyou with his date because she didn't want to third wheel. How she was looking forward to try French food, to only have Yamato force her out of the restaurant.

"Then we'll go here." Yamato gestured at the closest eatery in the underground train station.

Sora arched an eyebrow. "McDonalds?"

"You're hungry, so why not?"

"Which I blame you for," Sora sniffed.

Yamato laughed. It was the first laugh she had heard from all night. "It's on me then."

_He's giving you unjust, special treatment._

Sora frowned, attempting to shove the thought away. Taichi's words were getting to her. Yamato was her friend. It was normal to treat a friend every now and again. Yet, she was beginning to second guess everything thanks all thanks to Taichi.

_But I know that he likes you, Sora._

"Sora?" Yamato asked.

She blinked. "Sure, let's go."

"If you want to eat something else-"

"Seriously, it's fine Yamato. I could eat a horse. Everything is looking appealing right now."

After picking up their orders, the pair picked the closest table to feast on. Sora was glad to know that Yamato was just as hungry as she was. When she had made it halfway into her burger, Yamato had annihilated his Big Mac and progressed to scoffing down his fries.

"I may disagree with many things your mother said," Sora started. "But-"

Yamato stopped munching on his food. "Can't we leave this?"

"No," Sora said. "Stop deflecting these things when you should talk about this."

"I prefer we eat in silence."

"No," Sora repeated. "Yamato your mother, like any other parent, is worried about you."

"Right," Yamato spat. "You do realise that if we were there any longer, she would have made you her next victim. She would have judged you by your parents and what they do, what they-"

"This is about you," Sora interrupted him. She was linking Natsuko's reasoning with the conversation she had eavesdropped on when Mr Masaki was talking to Yamato. "She has a point that you're taking on enough more than you can chew."

"Sora, I-"

She continued, "You take on so much and you never say 'no' to anybody. You get sulky about things and protest about them, but despite your pointless arguing you will do whatever task is sent to you because you don't want to let anybody down. The vice-captain let's you take all the work on, and you're scared to let people help because you're a darn perfectionist. And your band, you stress out when the other guys don't practice when it's not your fault - it's theirs."

Sora didn't know why she was telling him all this. For the months that she had known Yamato, she had begun to observe these things about him. From the band practices she'd watch, the way he treated his peers in class to how he'd study at the library after school hours and, instead of studying for himself, he would actually help tutor other students instead. Everything he did was selfless, and even if Yamato didn't want to admit it - Sora knew. Many people were taking advantage of him; and it was about time she spoke up about it.

"You're not being fair to your mother either. There are two sides to every story. Adults aren't always perfect, Yamato. Plus, you're projecting all your anger towards your mother because you need an outlet. Deep, deep down you're just really frustrated with everything that's happening around you."

Yamato gazed at her, astonished. "Wow."

"What?" Sora seethed, vexed that he was finding the humour in this all of a sudden.

"I knew you were always observant, but not _this_ bad. You got me," Yamato said, scratching the back of his head. "Or should I say, _get_ me."

"I only said that because sometimes you remind me of me, Yamato. And you can't just rely on yourself, we're your friends. Koushiro and Taichi don't say anything because they know that you hate talking about this kind of thing and I...well, I've been holding this in from you for a while now."

"Thanks," Yamato replied. "I needed that, I guess."

Sora shifted her gaze back to her burger. "I'm still jealous of you though."

"Why would you be jealous of me?" Yamato frowned, folding his arms.

"You're perfect. You seem to have it more figured out than me," Sora laughed, bitterly. "And your parents aren't separated."

"Wrong."

"What?"

"My parents are veteran divorcees," Yamato deadpanned. "Your mother pales in contrast to mine. My mother is still bitter as ever since post their divorce. My parents separated long before yours. You may think that my mother is being a mother, but she really isn't. She's putting an act up to try and make up for the years she wasn't there for me."

"She's trying though."

"It's too late for that, if you ask me," Yamato chuckled, disgruntled. Sarcasm injected into his tone, "Are you still jealous _now_?"

"I am," Sora said, thoughtfully. She didn't want to talk about their parents any more. Thinking about her mother gave her a migraine. She redirected the conversation, "I'm jealous that you've got everything. You're talented and whenever you set your mind to it, you can excel at everything. On the other hand, I-I don't even know what I want; or _who _I want to be-"

"Why not begin by deciding whether you want to eat your fries or not...or I'll eat them," Yamato said, trying to cheer her up. It was a weak attempt, but then again it was coming from somebody like Yamato. At least he was trying.

Sora shook her head, though a smile tugged at her lips. "You suck at this."

"What I'm trying to say, Sora, is that you need to open your eyes more. Explore things. We've got a life time to find out what we want. Our parents get more involved during our last year of high school with trying to plan out our futures, but you'll find out what you want when the time comes," Yamato reassured.

Sora rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should consider life-coaching or being a career advisor now? Didn't I say that you've got a multitude amount of talents?"

"I think that would be more your forte," Yamato mused. "A psychiatrist even?"

"Oh, shut up," Sora snorted. "Let me eat in peace."

"You're the one who wanted to talk."

"Not anymore." Sora resorted to shoving down a handful of fries down her throat.

She was tired from her talk with Yamato. She couldn't figure out who was more temperamental; her or Yamato? A pair of hopeless cases; that's what they were. They had touched topics that she hadn't like to address. She had meant to help him out, but he had helped her.

"Very lady like," Yamato smirked as he watched her finish swallowing the fries and advancing to drain her coke. "I have to say though, you _do_ look great tonight, Sora."

Sora glimpsed him staring at her with peculiar interest, the type of interest that she avoided and pretended not to notice ever since Taichi had brought the idea to her mind.

She could feel her cheeks burning.

"Midnight blue works well for you."

Sora grinned. At least she had managed to fish out one compliment that night. Mimi's efforts to make Sora appear stunning hadn't gone wasted after all.

She played along, "Are you complimenting me or the dress?"

Yamato eyes lit up, taking the bait.

Nonetheless, Sora didn't expect his abrupt movement when dove across the table towards her. To a random bystander, it would appear as if they were kissing as Yamato's lips were merely inches from hers.

She could feel his breath on her cheek.

He whispered into her ear, "The dress, of course."

Yamato smugly retracted back onto his chair, only to curse when he scarcely dodged a french fry that Sora had hurled at his head.

.

* * *

**(a/n)** Longest chp yet! I was going to split up the last scene, but I couldn't. It wouldn't flow well the next chp if I had.

There was a lot going on in this chapter. I've been wanting to write the scenes in this chp for ages, therefore it took a while to write. For me it is harder writing pre-thought out &amp; anticipated scenes in contrast to improvising (eg. this French rest scene has been in my head since the beginning of the year).

During this dead period, I have watched the latest Tri instalment (ZOMG) &amp; stupidly wrote another Sorato. Goodness me.

_\- Anywho, I will (eventually) edit this. Gomen._


	10. Chapter Ten: Starless Sky

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter ten

**s**tarless **s**ky

_._

_._

* * *

She looked upwards.

Above her the sky was blanketed in black. Lights reflected onto the bay and glowed specks of light, contrasting against the darkness. The sky looked bleak and empty; a replica of how she felt at that current moment. She frowned, knowing that she would never gaze up at the sky from The Lookout ever again.

"Don't you think the city lights wash out the stars?" he asked her.

Sora glanced at the boy who was stationed next to her. She hadn't realised that he had silently crept up from behind her. She wasn't intimidated by his company anymore, not even reacting or shying away from him as she continued to stand there in a fixed position.

"Father says the stars are brighter in Kyoto," she replied, quietly.

"Really? I guess that's true because there are less buildings and lights to interfere with seeing them. I've been told that no matter where we are, the stars in the sky connects us all." The boy muttered, "Even though I find it very unrealistic, my mother told me that."

"She's in Kyoto?"

"No." The boy remarked, "She's in France."

"Where's that?"

He trailed off, "Somewhere far away…"

"Like Kyoto?"

"Further than Kyoto. It's a different country." He paused. "Why do you keep talking about Kyoto?"

"Because I'll be moving there," Sora said. She stretched her hands above her. "At least I know the stars are prettier in Kyoto than in Odaiba."

"Whether there be stars or none," the boy said, "you can always paint your own."

Sora stared at him, bemused. "How?"

"You just need to believe that you can."

She didn't understand him, or what the boy was talking about. However, she didn't respond and allowed his words to disappear into the night. The more she spoke to him, the more confused she became as he spoke fluently in a language she couldn't comprehend. His words were Japanese, but his meanings were foreign.

Head tilting upwards, she glimpsed at the scenery for the final time. She wanted to remember this moment, to engrave it deep in her memory because in a week Odaiba would be nothing but a distant memory.

A lilting melody filled the air.

Sora assumed that the boy had taken her silence as permission to play some music.

The harmonica sounded pleasant as she laid onto the cement ground, taking in the sky that would soon crash over her.

She closed her eyes, dreaming that reality was a hallucination.

Odaiba would always be her home, even if it was a starless and gloomy city.

* * *

Swigging the water down her parched throat, Sora let out a satisfied sigh.

She patted her face dry with a towel before placing it around her neck. It had been a good tennis session and she felt better now that she had worked up a sweat. As she was about to gather her belongings, she heard somebody from whistle at her.

Sora turned around and saw a blond headed teenage boy walking towards her. As per usual, there was a smirk on his lips and his eyes were shining in amusement when he caught her glance.

"Takeru?" She said. "What brings you here?"

He shrugged. "Just passing by."

Sora was about to point out that the middle school was - actually - not on the way from where he lived, but kept quiet when he saw him skittishly scratch the back of his head. It was, sometimes, a common thing that Yamato did whenever he felt uneasy.

Takeru wasn't clothed in his typical uniform nor basketball wear which was odd considering it was a school day. Did the middle schoolers have the day off?

"Are you looking for Yamato?" She asked him.

"No, actually," Takeru paused. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Me?" Sora blinked. She draped the bag strap across her body, meeting him outside of the tennis gates. "This sounds important."

She had spoken in a casual, yet sarcastic tone, but she was telling the truth. For Takeru to seek her out meant something. They all hung around the same group of friends, but it wasn't like Takeru to go out of his way to hang see her. Takeru was too preoccupied with basketball, his middle school friends and teasing Hikari.

Nevertheless, there had been more than a few occasions when Takeru had included her. The awkward dinner with Takeru and Yamato's mother, when he had asked Sora to distract Hikari because they were holding a surprise birthday party for her, to even indirectly asking Yamato to invite her to his basketball matches with the rest of the gang.

When Sora thought about it, Takeru and his brother were quite different despite their similar appearances. Takeru was more sociable and friendly as people tended to flock around him, whereas people tended to survey Yamato from afar (despite the occasional fangirl that wouldn't leave him alone).

Takeru let out a carefree laugh. "Not necessarily. Besides, I don't like important things."

As Sora was about to ask him what he had meant by that, he ambled past her towards the vending machine and bought himself a bottle of milk tea. He craned his neck towards Sora. "Want anything?"

"A Calpis would be nice," Sora replied. Somehow she knew that even if she refused him, he would buy her a beverage anyway. Well, that was the notion she got as Hikari spoke about Takeru often.

After coining in the precise amount and pressing a down a button, he squatted down to grab her drink.

"Thanks Takeru."

In response, he simply muttered, "Catch."

She had barely caught it because as soon as Takeru had even breathed out the word, the bottle had been flying in the air.

Takeru smirked. "Nice one."

He sat down on a the park bench and then gestured for Sora to take a seat next to him - which she did, albeit apprehensively. She unscrewed the cap and savoured the sweet liquid that slightly quenched her thirst. Sora knew it wasn't the best option to drink after tennis practice, but Calpis _was_ one of her favourite drinks.

Observing that Takeru wasn't talking and that the bottle of milk tea still unopened in his hands, Sora spoke up again, "No basketball practice today?"

"Ha ha," Takeru sighed, suddenly exhausted. "Guess you could say that. I quit the team yesterday."

"_What_?" Although Sora didn't know Takeru all that well, she knew that basketball was something he lived for as it was the equivalent to Taichi's commitment to soccer. "Does Yamato know?"

"Of course," Takeru mumbled. "He knows everything. He sees me too much. One would think that we're dating. My brother doesn't know how to stick his head out of his own business."

She said, matter-of-factly, "He's your brother."

"Trust me, I _know,_" Takeru groaned. "Still, thinking about leaving the team doesn't make me feel good."

"Perhaps you're sick?" Sora said, concerned. She lifted a hand to his forehead to discern his temperature in contrast with hers. "Is there a reason why you've resigned from the basketball team?"

Laughingly, Takeru shook his head at her and lightly pushed her hand away. "You're just as nagging as a mother. But I get it now, what Taichi says, you're just as bad as him."

"Who?"

"Yamato," Takeru chuckled. "He's the stabiliser in our group; always trying to make sure we stay intact from doing anything outrageous. You're just like him, only the female version."

She denied. "No way. I don't think we're anything alike."

"Fine," Takeru agreed. "You're more prettier and you're not as snappy and easy to scold me."

Sora laughed.

"Jokes aside, I guess I see why my brother and our friends like you." He said, stretching his legs out. "I guess you're normal."

Sora wasn't sure whether it was a compliment or not, but listened on to Takeru as he continued to speak.

"I mean, when you're surrounded with so many crazy people, I think of you as quite normal in comparison. For someone like you to have patience with dealing with Taichi, Hikari, Koushiro and, well, Yamato...it surely is saying something." He rambled, "And you genuinely care about them too-"

Sora was baffled by Takeru's words. "I don't-"

"You do," Takeru disagreed with her. "It's not a bad thing. I feel more relaxed that somebody else cares about Yamato as well."

"What?"

"He's too busy caring about everybody else, that he always forgets himself."

Sora stammered, "Takeru, I-what do you mean?"

"Nothing," Takeru gave her a knowing smile. He picked up the bottle of milk tea, that still hadn't been opened and got up from the bench. "Look after him, will you?"

Sora looked up at Takeru, absolutely puzzled by his words, as he gave her a polite bow before leaving.

He saluted. "See you."

She didn't know what the purpose of the conversation was, quietly sitting there and trying to make sense of what Takeru was actually telling her.

* * *

_He's been acting strange lately._

That was the sentence Hikari had uttered to Sora, about Takeru, when they had been brewing coffee two nights ago.

Sora hadn't thought much of it since she was never that close to him. Yet, the sentence kept stirring in her mind and became more prominent since Takeru had approached her yesterday night after tennis practice. The vibe from there odd interaction did sit well in her stomach. Something was going on with Takeru, and she didn't know what.

She needed to tell Yamato about this.

_But how could she?_

Sora sighed to herself as she glanced over to the empty desk. That Friday when the teacher had done the roll call, Yamato wasn't there. She wondered if it was related to what Takeru said. She knew Yamato was going through a rough patch, but it wasn't like him to be absent from class despite the many extra-curricular activities her participated in.

As soon as her third period ended, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She glanced around before disappearing into an empty classroom. Everybody knew not to call her during classes. She was a student and she was at risk of having her phone confiscated if anybody found out. Even work had the courtesy of texting her, instead of calling.

When she saw the name flash on the screen. Her soon-to-be stepbrother wasn't the type to call her.

She answered, "Yutaka?"

"Hey Sora. I was just wondering if Yamato's at school?"

"Huh?" Sora said, alarmed. "No, he isn't here today. Uh, haven't you tried contacting him on his phone?"

"Really?" Yutaka replied. Sora could swear she could see him from on the receiving end of the line. "He never showed up for band prac last night. Said he'd be visiting his mother's place and would join us mid rehearsal afterwards…"

"No, he's not here," Sora confirmed.

"That's not like him," Yutaka mumbled, voice worried. "He's usually the first one to text back and answer calls. Well, um, if you hear from him could you let me know?"

"_Sure_…"

Yutaka's worried voice made Sora edgy. She couldn't stop thinking about Yamato and when she asked Koushiro at lunch, he didn't have an idea either where their friend was. They had tried calling Yamato's phone, but like Yukata's case, he wasn't picking up.

Koushiro muttered, thoughtfully, "Maybe Taichi knows?"

"Where is he?" She queried Koushiro.

Sora hadn't seen Taichi since second period as they hadn't shared the same subjects, asides from Mathematics, English and Japanese. Additionally, she hadn't been all that concerned about Yamato whereabouts during the first period, but now that Yutaka had hinted that something was wrong with Yamato (and rethinking how Takeru's spontaneous visit at the tennis court yesterday was peculiar), she needed to find Taichi.

Koushiro suggested, "Soccer meeting room perhaps?"

Taking a bite into her apple, she nodded. Determination sparking, she stalked out of the cafeteria, down the hallway and towards the meeting room.

She hurriedly pushed the doors open and immediately she gaped at what she was witnessing.

Taichi and Mimi were making out.

Not constricted or subtly making out, but _really _making out.

Taichi had Mimi on the desk, hand crawling up her skirt and teeth biting against Mimi's bottom lip. He then moved lower and began kissing Mimi's neck.

Unable to take it anymore, Sora snapped, "Can you guys stop it already? We're at school. You're lucky it's only me and not one of the teachers. I know that you're together, but it isn't the time for you to be sticking your tongues down each other's throats every opportunity you get!"

"Sora?" Mimi said, recognising her voice. She shoved Taichi away from her, sitting up and buttoning up her top. She stared at Sora in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Yeah, what is it Sor?" Taichi gave an irritated mumble, trying to rub the red gloss that stained his lips.

Sora rolled her eyes. "Yamato. Where is he?"

"He's absent."

"I know he is!" Sora cried out. "But have you checked why he's away? Apparently nobody knows where he is."

Taichi said promptly, stating the most obvious answer, "At home? Maybe he's sick? I tried calling him, he didn't reply. How about his home phone number?"

"Koushiro's tried already. Nobody's answering. Even his phone. Yutaka hasn't gotten hold of him since last night!"

"He'll be fine," Taichi waved off.

Sora growled, throwing her hands up in the air. "God, you're hopeless, Taichi!"

"It's Yamato. He won't do anything stupid. He's responsible," Mimi piped in.

"And you think I didn't know that?" Sora was getting frustrated with how inconsiderate they were being. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew Yamato was going through, possibly, a hard time and Taichi - his best friend - wasn't doing anything about it.

"Hey!" Mimi glared. "You don't have to snap at me! I'm just telling the truth."

Yamato's presence was always there. Even though he was constantly busy, he managed to be there for everybody. And now that he was missing, why wasn't anybody else as affected as she was by his sudden disappearance?

She glared at Taichi, who was straightened his collar. He cleared his throat and repeated, "I know you're worried, Sor, but Yamato will be fine. Nothing's wrong with him, he just needs space."

"How much space are we meant to give him?" Sora replied. "He's _missing."_

"He's going through a rough patch, you see," Taichi sighed. "Well, I'm not meant to know this yet...but Hikari happened to tell me-"

"What?" Mimi cutted in.

He admitted, "Takeru's leaving for France tomorrow."

Sora arched an eyebrow. "So? If it's a holiday-"

"No, Sora, it's for good."

"_Oh…_"

She frowned, unsure what to say to the news that was broken to her. Mimi also was looking at Taichi with a shocked expression. Takeru always had a way of being secretive, but Sora wouldn't have guessed that he'd be leaving Japan. The reason why Takeru had sought her out was to wish her farewell, and because he wanted her to keep an eye on Yamato and - ironically - she had already failed to do so.

"Which is why he probably wants to be by himself right now."

"Then shouldn't that be more than enough reason to search for him, Taichi?" Sora said, quietly.

Mimi responded, "Yeah, Sora's right. We should all go find Yamato."

"Fine," Taichi grumbled, begrudgingly. "Why don't we pop by his apartment after school if that makes you happy?"

"Deal," Sora said, glad that Taichi had finally come to his senses although it had been a bit reluctantly.

* * *

"He's not home," Mr. Ishida stated, staring at the four of them curiously.

For an older man, Yamato and Takeru's father was quite attractive for his age. Sora could tell that the siblings had clearly gotten their good genetics from him.

Koushiro replied, "Have you seen him at all today?"

"Not since this morning. He said he'd be sleeping over at yours, Taichi. Something about a group assignment?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Taichi gave a nervous laugh. "It completely slipped my mind, Mr. Ishida. Forgot all about it. He's got band practice first…"

Sora had to try to stop rolling her eyes at Taichi's horrible lying. Koushiro snorted and Mimi was tugging at Taichi's sleeve for them to leave, before Taichi blew Yamato's cover altogether. Although they still didn't know where Yamato was, they didn't want to get him into trouble with his father or involve any of the adults yet.

Koushiro gave a quick bow. "Thanks Mr. Ishida."

They ambled away from Yamato's apartment, walking aimlessly down the streets.

"Where could he be?" Mimi questioned out loud.

It was the same question that everybody had on their minds.

In her head, Sora ticked off the possibilities. Not with Yutaka. Not at home. Not in any of the classes. Not at school-

_Wait…_

Although Yamato hadn't attended any of the classes, it hadn't necessarily meant that there was a possibility that he could still be on school grounds. Sora's mind ticked as if she was going through the first day school orientation all over again. He had given her the tour and there was something Yamato had told her about where to go if she ever needed alone time…

And then she remembered.

* * *

She had an inkling she would be correct.

"Why would he want to be at school?" Taichi argued. "If he wanted to skip classes, school would be the last place I'd want to be."

Taichi had disagreed with her and believed he would be at Takeru's place. Mimi had decided to tag along with Taichi, while Koushiro said he would go to his home and see if he could track down Yamato's cellphone signal (despite everybody telling him that he was committing a crime).

Ignoring her best friend, she pivoted on her heels and found herself back on the school grounds. Sora wasn't entirely confident that Yamato would be at the place she assumed, but it was worth trying to see if he was there because then, at least, she could cross it off the other probabilities of him being there.

Sora talked up the staircase, then another. Sora could hear a distant melody playing, but she wasn't sure if she was going delirious after climbing up the hundreds of steps.

She was hearing a harmonica now...who was she kidding?

At the peak, her hands were against her knees as she breathed in and out for air. Taking one deep breath, she walked onto the highest rooftop and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar tall, lean frame and blond hair.

Yamato was lying down, back resting against the cement surface.

It was already night time. The sky was painted black and specks of stars glittered in the distance.

Sora used her phone's screen as a light, shining her way towards him. Her movement caused him to roll onto his side and look at her.

He didn't say anything; so she chose not to as as well, soundlessly perching herself next to him.

She saw his eyes were puffy, lips chapped and the closer she got to Yamato, the more she could scent tobacco coming off of him. There were few times she had caught him smoking.

"You knew I was here?" Yamato finally uttered.

"Somehow." She shrugged. Sora wanted to yell at him for disappearing without notifying anybody, but she could read that he wasn't in the mood to be told off.

Yamato was going through enough and she didn't want to contribute by making him feel worse.

"Everybody's been looking for you. If I hadn't really thought hard about what you said during orientation, I wouldn't have found you. Rooftops are your thing, huh?"

"I'm not going to jump off it if that's what you're thinking," he wryly spoke back.

Despite his tone being sardonic, she could hear his teeth chattering. Sora couldn't interpret whether it was because of the cold breeze or his attempt to hide how upset he was.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop Sora from unfurling the red, thick scarf around her neck, spreading it out and placing it on Yamato like a blanket.

He scowled, but accepted it, sitting up and wrapping it around him. Sora couldn't help but smirk at his internal turmoil of rejecting her help and accepting the token of warmth. He looked amusing wearing her scarf around like a shawl.

"So...I heard Takeru's leaving."

There was a glint of irritation in his eyes. "Words travel fast amongst our friends, I see."

"You don't need to be a sore thumb about it," Sora muttered back. After losing her cool about him disappearing all day, she wasn't going to tolerate Yamato acting up. "We were worried."

"Sorry," he grumbled back. He was about to get up, but Sora pulled at uniform blazer, making him sit back down.

"We're friends, Yamato. Tell me what's going on."

He reversed the situation back to her. "So, tell me Sora, how did it feel when your father moved?"

"Sad." Sora admitted, well aware that he was trying to get under her skin and to get her to see from his perspective. However, it didn't stop Sora from speaking back to him, "I've always been close to him. But I knew it would be only a year, even if it meant gritting my teeth and staying with my mother for year."

"At least you knew it wasn't permanent," Yamato commented.

Sora prodded deeper, "But why is he going?"

"It was a last minute decision on his part. I'm his brother. He usually tells me what is happening. Just because our mother decides to unceremoniously leave for France. I told him that he could stay with me and dad, but he's always had a soft spot for mum." Yamato talked out, "And he doesn't even realise the implications of going. His French is better than mine...but, God, he can be so darn brash. He hasn't thought it through well enough!"

"You're right. I don't understand how it is for somebody to leave for good," Sora started. "But you have got to trust him."

"I don't really want to," Yamato sulked. "He's my younger brother..."

And it was then that Sora realised that Yamato reminded her of a child throwing a tantrum. He had done a lot of brooding by himself, but it didn't stop Sora from letting out a giggle and breaking the straining atmosphere.

He glared at her. "What?"

"You're kind of cute," she said before her mind processed what she was thinking. She bit her tongue as he raised an eyebrow. Her cheeks immediately warmed up.

He laughed at her, but luckily didn't reply to what she had said. "Anyway, second time this week, right?"

She stared at him blankly.

"You know...the second time you've listen to me vent about everything," he explained. "I must be a real nuisance."

"Oh, be quiet. You've always been here for me ever since I moved back."

He chuckled, digging out a cigarette. As he was about to search back into his pockets for a lighter, Sora noticed a silver object slip out of it.

As it clattered onto the cement, Yamato picked it up.

Sora gazed at him in awe.

_Blond hair, blue eyes...and a harmonica player? How could she have only realised it now?_

"You're_ that_ boy…"

He was that person she would vaguely think about in her memories during her last weeks in Odaiba. The mysterious entity who knew and empathised with her despite hardly knowing her. The boy who knew what she going through, when nobody else did. The lilting harmonica melodies that he would play that had comforted her when words did not.

It had been Yamato all along.

"Figured me out now?" Yamato assumed as the side of his lips curled, which led Sora to register that Yamato had possibly known that she was the same girl that had been conversing with him at the Lookout when they were younger.

She said, exasperatedly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Wouldn't have thought it would matter, or that you'd remember anyway."

"Trust me, you _did _matter." She was still gaping. He had indirectly helped her when she was going through a difficult time. Feebly, she uttered, "You-uh...thanks?"

"No worries. It's the most I could do since it makes up for me growing up into such a wimp as of late."

Sora rolled her eyes. She hated when Yamato was like this. She hated that he'd sarcastically say things about himself, but behind his words he actually believed it. "You need to pull yourself together and stop talking so negatively about yourself. It won't make things any better. Don't put yourself down when you're more capable of more than you really know."

"Huh?"

"Come on, Yamato, the others are waiting for us." She stood up, brushing the dirt from her legs and held a hand out for him to take. "It's bad luck that the city washes out the stars, but at least we can paint our own, right?"

He stared at her and for a split second, she could see him unsettled by what she had said. If he remembered about conversing to her as children, Sora could certainly tell that he had noted the words that he had advised to her once upon a time.

Yamato grinned. His left hand accepted her hand as Sora helped to tug him up.

The attempt failed.

"_Arghh!_

He lost his balance, falling back first onto the rooftop with Sora straggly sprawled over his body. The red scarf floated over them before the pair could process what had actually happened.

Sora's body was pressed closely against Yamato's that she could feel his ragged breathing. She wasn't sure if it was Yamato's or her hear that was hammering against her chest. However, it was Yamato's beat red face that displayed that he was clearly more embarrassed than she was. And it was then that Sora realised that she had used Yamato to break her fall, cheeks blazing when she saw that her arms were around his lean waist.

"Numb. Legs," Yamato exhaled out. His eyes were looking behind Sora, as if pretending that she was, in fact, lying on top of him. "This is what we get for looking up at stars too often."

"Uh...yes," Sora tried to gather her thoughts. She foolishly retracted her arms from around him in the most inconspicuous fashion she could, scrambling off his body and onto her knees. "Sorry for that...um-"

Her voice got caught in her throat when Yamato sat up and grabbed at her wrist, pulling her next to him. He firmly got her kneeling and then, did something that surprised her. His arms reach around her body and gave her an embrace.

"Yamato?" She whispered, biting onto her bottom lip as she turned upwards to shyly met his gaze.

He looked at her and saw that how she felt reflected on his face.

"Stay."

They weren't sure what they wanted, but they wanted to be there together, even if it was for a moment.

She felt his arms draw her tighter towards his body, allowing his hold to fill her senses. In his arms she felt comforted, and she didn't know whether she was comforting him, or he was comforting her...but it felt right.

However, there was one thing Sora _did_ know.

She didn't want to let go.

.

* * *

**(a/n)** 2nd longest chp! Sorry for the long wait. This chapter has influenced me to write a Takari. The first chp is up (It's called Un Pétrin sans Espoir: how delightful, but I'll probably rewrite it), so it's the indirect sequel to this story.

However, I will definitely finish this story prior to the semi-sequel.

I know this is so cheesy (I always feel cheesy writing romantic scenes), but I hope that you overall enjoyed this chp. This scene has been in my head since the first chp, so it's finally nice to get it out, as this is where the name of story 'Starless Sky' originated from...that and because of the pun on Sora's name.

Anyway, thanks for reading so far! [and i know, i will edit this because there are bound to be mistakes. i wrote this on my phone while taking transport]

P.S. Will reply to reviews later tonight. xox


	11. Chapter Eleven: Behind The Curtains

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter eleven

**b**ehind **t**he **c**urtains

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* * *

At the sound of footsteps Sora glanced at the door. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Mimi Tachikawa staring right back at her.

"Who let you in?"

"Your mother did. There are lots of shoes at your doorstep. Apparently Yamato's band is here," Mimi replied while shrugging off her coat. She threw it onto Sora's bed and later joined it, sprawling stomach-first onto the soft bedsheets. She smiled sweetly at her, kicking her feet back and forth in the air. "So are you done yet?"

"Mimi," Sora said, gesturing at the flashy magenta dress that was under the needle of the sewing machine. "You just gave me this dress today."

"I want to wear it on Saturday though."

"That's in two days time. You don't need it _now_," Sora grumbled. "Somehow, I wish I could take back my words and told you to purchase the other dress instead. At least that fitted you and then I wouldn't have to alter this one-"

Mimi pouted. "You offered to fix it up for me and you even said it looked prettier!"

"And now it's something I majorly regret." Sora rubbed her eyes. "Shouldn't you be home? It's late."

Mimi pointed out, "It's only 9. My parents are out having dinner anyway."

"9 o'clock is late on a school night," she remarked back.

"That's because you're a grandma, Sora."

Sora rolled her eyes, pressing on the pedal as she drew the fabric through the humming machine. Why had she volunteered to fix the dress up? She could have taken the easy route and told Mimi that the other dress (that was absolutely hideous and showed too much skin) was better, but Sora couldn't find herself to do so.

It had been a while since she had sewn something, therefore it was taking her longer to alter the dress. That, and she had to secretly go through her mother's storage boxes to find the old sewing machine. Sora could have sworn she almost broke her back when she had lifted the machine onto her desk.

"Don't you worry, Mimi, I'll get it done by then. I can give it to you tomorrow morning before school starts?"

"I kind of want it now, so I can try it on for my make-up trials."

Sora laughed. "Do you really need to go out of your way for this? You're only seeing Taichi."

"But it's a date," Mimi sniffed.

"You're already dating," Sora remarked. It was true. Taichi and Mimi had finally become official a couple of weeks ago.

Apparently Taichi had taken Mimi up the Fuji TV tower after school, claiming to her that it had the best view of Odaiba and Mount Fuji. While they had been up there admiring the sunset in the horizon, Mimi had tiptoed forward and had kissed Taichi.

Sora shook her head.

She could never be that bold. Foreigners were quick and straight-forward whenever it came to dating and revealing their feelings. Taichi was a spluttering mess when he had told Sora about what had happened, whereas Mimi was reenacting the scene in full detail and was squealing about how romantic it was.

"It's a public date. We're coming out and you're all going to be there...so I need to dress to impress," Mimi insisted. "Anyway, have_ you_ decided what to wear?"

"I'm not going," Sora stiffly responded. "I wasn't invited."

"You're being silly. Everybody is going! Are you sure?" Mimi furrowed her eyebrows. "Yamato wouldn't leave you out. He would have invited you to see his gig! That or your handsome soon-to-be step brother, Yutaka, would have asked you to go too."

"Well," Sora said quietly. "They didn't."

Sora hadn't been blind. Throughout the week, Yamato had dished out free tickets to all their friends when she wasn't present. Ever since she had found him on the rooftop the other week, she couldn't look him in the eye and even he seemed to be more distant. From Takeru leaving, his moodiness had finally lessened as he was now focused more on the band's gig than the fact that his little brother had left for good.

"That's impossible!" Mimi exclaimed, clearly unhappy with Sora's reply. "Everybody was invited. We're going to get you a ticket-"

Sora blinked. "What?"

"-_now_!""

"Mimi," Sora sighed.

She hated how impulsive Mimi would get. Sora now believed that Mimi was worse than Taichi.

Sora was fine with it. If Yamato didn't want her to go, it made sense. She wasn't as close to Yamato as the others were. Mimi had gotten the invite because Taichi had asked for an extra ticket (because it was their date night), and rock music wasn't Sora's thing anyway…

_Ah, who was she kidding?_ Of course she wanted to go.

Mimi pulled Sora off from the seat and pushed her out of her bedroom, heading towards the music room. As Sora hesitated at the door, Mimi swung the door open. All the band members looked at them blankly, and in the middle of the formation, Yamato was standing there, hands holding onto a microphone.

"Er...good evening?" Sora said as soon as the music stopped playing.

This was all Mimi's fault. Sora could feel her cheeks getting hotter again. Every time she had run ins with the band, it always was when she wasn't prepared.

Mimi overtook her, speaking out loud, "Where's Sora's ticket?"

"What?" Akira laughed. He looked different outside of his Starbucks uniform, dressed in a black shorts and a loose shirt as he twirled the set of drumsticks around between his fingers. "Can't you see that we're practicing, Mimi?"

"You heard me!"

Sora wanted to duck away from them, but Mimi held firmly onto her from running away. Sora sighed, "It's no big deal. I know I wasn't invited and-"

"I gave Yamato your ticket," Yutaka cut in. He placed his elbow on his keyboard, resting his face on his hand and glanced in accusation. "He said he'd give it to you."

All eyes were on Yamato now, as he shuffled on the spot. He turned off the mic, placing his bass guitar onto the stand before silently walking towards the side of his room to rummage through his backpack. Upon finding his wallet, he took a piece of paper that was amongst the cash.

He walked up to Sora, standing in front of her. Holding out the ticket, he said, "Here."

She took it, but paused as she gazed up at him.

As much as how Sora hated Mimi for being impulsive, she equally hated it when Yamato was unreadable. His blue eyes were glancing down at her, cool and reserved. It had been the first time she had properly looked at him ever since she had sought him out at the rooftop.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Yamato said, softly. He stammered, "I know it isn't your scene-"

Sora shook her head, giving a small sincere smile. "I'll go."

He nodded, digging his hands into his pockets as he proceeded back to his guitar. The others waited for him and soon, they were performing again.

As Sora was about to leave, she noticed Mimi lingering in front of the band, clapping along to the beat. Sora rolled her eyes, forcing Mimi out of her trance and getting her out of the room. As they left, Mimi blew a kiss, and yelled, "Doing well, guys! Looking hot!"

When they closed the door, Sora heard Yamato chuckle mid lyric.

"Can you stop it?" Sora scolded.

Mimi whistled to the tune, hands holding each other behind her back as she skipped back to Sora's room. "Maybe when you explain what's been going on with you and Yamato?"

"I won't get your dress done if you don't leave me alone." Sora sulked, sitting back in front of her desk as she pretended to be completely absorbed with the magenta fabric.

"Oh Sora, that's the worst way to distract me. I'm a magnet when it comes to finding out gossip. I'm not stupid, you know?"

Sora said under her breath. "Could have fooled me."

"Hey! I heard that!" Mimi said, slightly offended. She plopped onto the side of the bed. "So?"

She dismissed, "Nothing's going on."

"Yamato's got the hots for you," Mimi smirked. "I think you guys are cute."

"This is why you're worse than Taichi," Sora groaned. "Taichi is oblivious to everything, but you pick up every little detail, don't you?"

Mimi jibed, "Are you admitting that I'm right?"

"I'm admitting that you're a _darn_ pain in the butt, Mimi!"

Mimi giggled.

* * *

"Wow! These guys are hot," Jun gaped, nudging me as she pointed at the poster of Knife of Day that was pinned up on the wall next to the booths we were sitting in. I shrugged in reply, which caused her to lean over to Jyou. "What do you think, hun? I reckon the blondie in the middle is the cutest."

Jyou laughed. "That's Yamato. He's our friend."

"Well, I'll be damned," Jun said. "Don't you think he is cute, Sora?"

"Sora thinks he's very cute," Mimi piped in, adding a wink, which caused Sora to kick her under the table. Through grit teeth, she hissed, "She finds Yamato_ adorable_."

Taichi was bawling in laughter and all Sora could do was glare daggers at him since he was too far for her to inflict damage.

It kind of hurt that Yamato had invited Jyou before her too. Hikari had chosen not to come, so Jyou had brought Jun along as his date. Koushiro was sitting besides Sora. He had also brought somebody along, an older woman who happened to be his cousin, Natsumi. All along they had thought Koushiro was dating somebody behind their backs', but it in fact had been Natsumi.

Which meant she was alone…

Sora felt betrayed that Hikari wasn't there to keep her company, but then knew she was being selfish. Hikari was still upset about Takeru leaving, and going to Yamato's gig wasn't going to make her feel any better.

She felt self-conscious being on her own, and even more self-conscious of what she was wearing. Mimi looked great in her magenta dress, as Taichi was not the only one in the _live house*_ sneaking glances at her. Jun wore a tight singlet that showed off a bit of cleavage, and a short checked black and red skirt with leather boots with heels.

On the other hand, Sora had merely attended the gig with torn grey jeans, worn-out runners and a plain baggy black shirt. At first she felt out of place, but when she saw the rest of the crowd she felt comfortable. However, being next to Mimi and Jun she couldn't help but feel underdressed.

The lights dimmed, so they all migrated down to the mosh pit. Mimi made sure to push forwards so they were right in front of the stage.

And then they performed.

Sora looked on, amazed by the band. She had heard them rehearse at her home, but there was something different about witnessing them on stage. They were polished. The environment was more lively than at home. The crowd was jumping to the beat that Akira would pound out. Yutaka's chords would wrap around the tune, adding random complicated sequences when nobody would expect him to. Everybody would hype over Takeshi playing the electric, as whenever the guitar would howl out a blaring rift, the live house would vibrate in beautiful ecstasy.

Despite all the commotion from the other band members, it was the bass and the lead vocalist that Sora listened to.

Because it was Yamato...

His voice was melodic, but hoarse as he sang into the mic. He'd sing out lowly, then suddenly hit the high octaves within seconds. He didn't hide away in the background, like he usually did whenever they hung out as a group. This was the only place Sora knew where he liked to stand out. He didn't mind the lights beaming down on him, as he cried out onto the mic. He belonged here; he was happy here. This was a different Yamato. He was raw, his eyes filled with emotion and the beat of the droning bass made her heart patter.

The music stopped. Knife of Day bowed and the crowd cheered. And, soon enough, the lights turned back on. People filtered out of the venue, but Sora and her friends remained lingering in the nearly-empty moshpit.

A security guard approached them. "The band requests that you come backstage."

"Oh, we were hoping to see Yamato," Koushiro said.

Jyou clarified, "The lead singer."

Jun let out a giggle, and Sora could see that even Natsumi was holding back laughing out loud in amusement.

"No can do," the guard replied in a gruff voice. "They're not allowed out here, and they're still doing interviews at the moment. They won't be free till another half hour."

Sora watched as Taichi glanced at his wristwatch. "The last train to Odaiba is in ten minutes. We can't wait it out, guys."

"Tough!" the security guard barked.

"You don't have to be so mean about it!" Mimi snapped. "You're so rude."

Taichi was already turning Mimi around before she got into a fight with the burly security guard. Although it was a good thing that the gig was held in a trendy place in Shinjuku, that meant that they had limited time to be there. If they missed the last train, they were doomed.

As the group were about to leave, Sora stayed there.

"Sor?" Koushiro sent her a questioning look.

"Uh, Yutaka already said he'd arrange a lift for me," Sora admitted. "Something about us going home together would be a good excuse since we'd be getting back late. He's older, so my mother isn't as bothered because she likes him."

"Can't he cover for all of us?" Taichi complained, but Mimi leaned to whisper something in his ear. "By all means, go for it!"

"What?" Sora said, suddenly wishing that she hadn't.

"Confess to hi-" Jun clamped a hand over Taichi's mouth.

Despite hardly knowing Jun, Sora owed her one. Jyou picked up where was left, ushering the rest of the gang out of the venue.

Sora gave a weak smile, staring up at the tall security guard that loomed over her. "I guess it's only me then…"

"Follow me, miss."

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* * *

Sora scrolled through her phone attempting to preoccupy herself, as she waiting for the boys to finish the interview.

Although she was in the dressing room, her ears were still recovering from the gig. The music was still pounding in her ears and it was exhilarating. It had been her first gig to ever go to and she couldn't wipe the grin from her face as she remembered her favourite highlights of the show.

She made note to check out more gigs often and, even request that the boys give her some band suggestions. Perhaps she really did need to expand her music taste because it would be nice to have a change from always listening to enka. She needed to get with the times.

The door cracked open, but mid way, the hand stayed holding onto the doorknob and soon she heard voices filter into the room.

"I'm Hasegawa Mika from Orion Entertainment. We'd like to talk to you about a position-"

The hand let go of the knob, but the door remained left ajar. Sora shifted to the other side of the sofa and, from the distance, could see that Yamato was engaged in a conversation with an older woman in a business suit.

Sora noticed the scowl that formed on Yamato's face the longer that the pair conversed. He was folding his arms and shaking his head, despite the woman continue to suggest more options to Yamato. Sora couldn't exactly hear what they were saying, but she could evidently tell that Yamato was not interested the slightest.

The woman gave a quick bow before leaving and Yamato let out a deep sigh. From the gap, Yamato locked eyes with Sora.

Sora wanted to look away, but now that he had seen her, Yamato went inside the dressing room.

"You stayed behind?"

"Yutaka said he'd get a taxi home with me," Sora explained.

"Uh...I see," Yamato replied. "Walk with me?"

"Sure."

She didn't know where they were going, but she trailed after him. They went down the dingy hallway and took a series of turns before taking a ladder upwards, which lead them to the stage that the band had just performed on.

Yamato was walking aimlessly around it, staring away from her and gazing out to the audience of empty chairs. Dim, blue lighting casted over them. They hadn't completely turned off the lights in the venue.

"Who was she?" Sora curiously asked him, sliding her feet over the ledge of the stage.

Yamato shrugged, stopping pacing. "Some scout. She wanted to recruit me to join her agency, but I rejected her straight away."

"Why?" Sora frowned. "It would have been a good opportunity."

"If I wanted to be in a pop group..." Yamato dryly chuckled. "It's definitely not my thing. The music's not my style and I've got two left feet. Me dancing will cause a zombie apocalypse."

"Now you're exaggerating."

"Not at all," Yamato smirked, taking a seat next to her. "Anyway, I wouldn't want to join it by myself. She was only trying to get me to join."

"Why not the whole group?"

"Well, I don't know if you know, but this was Yutaka's last gig. That's why he wants to celebrate. He got offered a piano scholarship in Vienna. Seems like everybody is going to Europe these days," Yamato said, bitterly.

"Wow. I didn't know that," Sora said, shocked.

Although she hadn't been living with Yutaka long, it was sad if he was to leave. He was entertaining at home and with him gone, that would meant Sora would be stuck with the adults by herself.

"Takeshi wants to play more metal music and Akira's real aim is to be a drumming instructor. As for me, I love playing bass. I love playing in a band. But joining another one doesn't seem right. And trying to make it big would be stupid too, not when I don't have enough funds for it." Yamato continued, "I can't leave dad alone either. He's working all the time and he can barely care for himself. If I leave, nobody will be left…"

"You've really thought this out."

"Someone has to," Yamato sighed. "Maybe Mr Masaki was right. I should focus on my studies more. Music will always be there, but if I want to get somewhere in the academics, I need to improve."

"Don't be so glum, Yamato. You've got time to think it through," Sora reassured.

They had been avoiding each other for a week, yet somehow the first thing they properly chatter about has to be serious. Nevertheless, Sora always felt an odd sort of contentment whenever Yamato opened up to her. She also opened up to him as well. They had a weird connection like that.

As if sensing Sora's train of thoughts, Yamato tilted his head. "I guess we're talking now, huh?"

"We were both being immature," Sora bashfully replied. She had missed talking to him, more than she liked to admit it.

Yamato gave a short nod. "Yeah, you were avoiding me a lot."

"And so were you!" She rebuked. "Because you weren't talking to me either!"

"We're being really stupid, aren't we?" Yamato sighed, stretching his legs out. He glanced at her, blue eyes pondering to find that Sora was digging out something from her backpack.

Sora handed him a black box, bowed up in gold ribbon. "This is yours."

Bemused, Yamato accepted the gift and untied the ribbon. He lifted the lid and laughed out. "Chocolates?"

"It was the safe option. I didn't know what I was meant to bring. I thought flowers for a second, but I think that's more acceptable for a girl than a guy. Plus, they would have been destroyed. Anyway, how would I know what to get? I don't know how gigs work!" Sora exclaimed, rambling on. "And Mimi said it's tradition to bring gifts to a gig, but nobody else brought any for you so I thought-wait a minute…_Mimi_!"

She wanted to kill her.

Yamato was chuckling, he was holding on his sides. "She got you, Sora."

"She's dead to me!" Sora said, exasperated.

She wanted to hide. She wanted to get away from this. Mimi was the worst. She really was!

"You do know that chocolates mean it's a confession?" Yamato told her.

What he said made Sora fiddle. She looked away from Yamato again, but when she felt his hands reach of hers, she found herself staring back at his deep blue eyes.

"But it isn't."

Yamato whispered, "But what if I wanted it to be?"

She paled. She tried to get him to drop her hands, but he wouldn't let go. After Yamato's words had registered in her mind, all Sora could do was stutter, "I-we...I can't. I really like you, Yamato, but-"

"What's wrong with us trying?"

"I'm not the best," Sora said. Her feelings started to flood out. "You've got other people who like you! Didn't you see the truckload of fans that were screaming your name tonight? They look prettier than I do. I don't even like wearing dresses that often! Heck, even what I'm what wearing right now isn't good enough-"

"You look fine," Yamato chuckled. Sora didn't know why he kept chuckling at her. Had he finally lost it? "Gigs aren't about what you wear anyway. And you look great in whatever you wear. You look even great in the uniform!"

"Can you stop," Sora cried out. "This is beyond embarrassing."

"I only tell the truth."

"That's why it's scary," Sora replied. "You're not like Taichi. He always jokes around too much-"

"I still joke around too, and is that considered a bad thing? Because I don't insult you as much, does that make it a negative?"

She said, "Definitely a positive."

"Then why are you scared?" He was coming in closer now and Sora was trying to scoot away, but his long legs wrapped around hers, trapping her from making any attempt to escape. He chuckled again. "Am I that scary?"

"I'm not scared of you," Sora frowned. "I'm scared of us. What if we don't work?"

He supplied back, "What if we do?"

"We might fight a lot. I don't want to lose our friendship, Yamato."

"Then we'll talk it out," Yamato said, he pulled her over to him. She was now sitting on his lap. There was doubt, a lot of doubt, that reflected in her eyes. Yamato brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "We'll deal with it together."

It was the right answer.

Sora placed her arms around him, embracing him. She closed her eyes, savouring their closeness and her body warmed up when his arms wrapped around her waist. She felt comfortable being there with him. Yamato always made her feel special. Vulnerable, but special.

He pulled back to look at her and she gave him a relaxed grin. Yamato held onto her chin, steadying her as his lips crashed onto hers.

She closed her eyes, feeling her body tingle from head to toe. She could sense his breathing as she held onto him tighter, bringing her body closer to his. He moaned into her mouth and his tongue collided against hers as their kiss deepened.

"Yamato? Sora? Where are you? Takeshi, I can't seem to find them!"

They froze at the voice calling them.

Sora rolled off Yamato, and Yamato squatted and stood up. He took Sora's hand and they hid behind the curtains. He leaned her against the wall, and took advantage of the quietness by kissing Sora gain on the lips, before planting a line of kisses on her neck. She bit her tongue, holding back a moan.

"_Yamato_," Sora whispered. "They'll hear."

In that instance, the stage lights were turned on and everything was brightly lit.

"I know you love birds are behind the curtains," Akira's voice floated into the air, tone filled with amusement. "I expect to see the two of you at the after party..._or not._"

Sora and Yamato eyed each other in absolute shock. They waited until Akira's footsteps disappeared before collapsing into laughter, continuing to hold each other in each other's arms.

"He's right, though," Yamato said, disgruntledly. "We need to go. The other members will never forgive me if I miss our last party."

Yamato held a hand out, and Sora gladly accepted it. As she followed his lead, she silently tapped his shoulder. As he turned to look at her, Sora kissed him on the cheek.

In response, Yamato glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. She tilted her head back, giving him a delighted simper.

He shook his head, but pulled her closer so that they were no longer hands, but his arm was around her waist. And, because Sora was closer, she couldn't help but glimpse the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips.

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* * *

_******live house: a venue that is used for underground bands_

_._

**(a/n)** heh. it's (somewhat) finally happening. but there are still a handful of chps to go. don't think this is finished yet. xD thanks for reading :)


	12. Chapter Twelve: Never Keep Secrets

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter twelve

**n**ever **k**eep **s**ecrets

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"I don't like it here," Jyou frowned. "There are too many bugs. I feel like puking. They're going to contaminate all the food."

"Hon, it's a picnic and we're outside. What do you expect?" Jun said, smiling.

Jyou replied, grouchily, "And this is why I prefer being indoors. Insects are disgusting."

"They're not that bad. I think they're fascinating little creatures," Koushiro denied, causing Sora to stifle a giggle at Jyou's repulsed reaction. "Outdoors gives you sunlight, and it's something that every human needs. Vitamin D aids the absorption of calcium to produce strong bones, and is also known to have a protective property against multiple diseases and conditions including cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis-"

"I _am_ a med student," Jyou cut in before Koushiro could further lecture him.

Languidly taking in the sunlight, Sora stretched her legs on the checked red and white picnic matt. Her knee slightly brushed against Yamato from her movement. Like Sora, Yamato had been listening to Jyou complaints, while enjoying a egg and chicken sandwiches (that Mimi had prepared). He caught her gaze and gave a small smile, discreetly moving a hand behind the picnic basket and holding her hand when they were sure nobody was looking.

They had been keeping it from the others for a few weeks now. It was more Sora's decision because she didn't want everybody knowing that they were together yet. She had never dated anybody before and she wasn't ready for everybody to know about them yet.

She gave Yamato a scolding look when he squeezed her hand, but Yamato chuckled at her in response.

It was Mimi who had suggested that they have a picnic that weekend. The term's exam period had ended and now it was their first weekend of holidays. Taichi used the picnic gathering as an excuse to teach Mimi, much to her abhor, how to play soccer. It was amusing watching them from afar because rather than running towards the soccer ball, Mimi would hysterically shriek and run away from the ball instead.

Miyako had, finally, brought her boyfriend along. His name was Ken, and he was shyer (if it was even possible) than Koushiro. Sora had tried speaking with him, but he would answer back in meek closed answers. It was kind of cute that Miyako, who was a primarily loud and as outspoken person, had fallen for a warm and soft-spoken boy.

"Damn it, Taichi!" Yamato groaned when the soccer ball hit his head.

Taichi snickered. "It wasn't me. It was Mimi."

"It was _not_ me!" Mimi huffed out.

"Yagami, I saw you kick that intentionally!" Sora accused. As soon as she had spoken the words, Yamato had let go of her hand and was getting up. She looked up at him and he shrugged. "Joining them?"

"Yeah. I want to kick his ass," Yamato grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

Sora laughed. "You're bad at soccer though from what I've seen in Phys Ed. You can't even kick a ball. What makes you think you'll win against Taichi?"

"I'm offended. Do you have little faith in me?" Yamato raised an eyebrow at her. He jutted his chin out at Taichi and said, vindictively, "That's why I'll be throwing the ball _at_ him."

When he got up to participate in helping Mimi learn soccer (while occasionally throwing the ball _and_ snide remarks at Taichi), Sora could not help but feel weird as she stared at the empty space next to her. She felt comfortable when Yamato was around, yet she couldn't help but feel uneasy when he was gone. Sora was used to him being there. How is that they'd only been secretly dating for a few weeks and she was getting _this_ clingy?

She glanced over at Hikari who was absent-mindedly taking photos of the Rainbow Bridge.

Deciding to leave the picnic matt, Sora stood up and wandered towards her.

Hikari had been awfully quiet ever since Takeru had left Japan. At work, although she was beaming at her customers, she had stopped making cheeky side comments and wasn't her perky, cheerful self when off duty.

Sora could relate to her. When she was torn from Odaiba at a young age, she remembered leaving Taichi and Koushiro behind. It was painful. Even, to this day, she hadn't even recovered. Sure, she had made friends in the neighbourhood in Kyoto (despite them not being her age), but it wasn't the same. Abandoning childhood friends, or childhood friends leaving, was like rubbing salt to an open wound.

"Why the sudden fascination for the Bridge?" Sora asked, as Hikari took a shot of the Rainbow Bridge from a different angle.

Hikari didn't stare back at her, continuing to focus her camera on the next shoot. "Sending it to Takeru at some point. He always loved the Bridge. He's weird like that."

"Okay…"

"Okay _what_?" Hikari questioned Sora, knowing that the older girl had more to say. "I know you, Sora, and I know there's something else that you want to interrogate me about."

Sora tried again, "If you need somebody to talk to-"

"I'm fine."

Sora frowned. "Now, Hikari. There's no reason to lie. If you miss him; you miss him. We all do."

"I know, but it's hard. I've known Takeru ever since I was in diapers and for him to leave in such a short notice...it was just so sudden, you know?"

It reminded of the time when Sora's father had announced that he'd be going overseas for his project. He had told her so suddenly and before she knew it, she had been unwillingly placed onto a train scheduled to Odaiba. It had been unfair and unforeseen that she hadn't known _how _to react. Sora guessed that this was exactly how Hikari was feeling at that moment. Being unprepared for something, as big as a close friend permanently moving overseas, was markedly unsettling.

Hikari bit her bottom lip. "Takeru won't be there to help me mediate our idiot brothers whenever they fight, he won't be there to whip out a sarcastic comment at the right moment, he won't be there photobombing every photo that I take, he-he's gone, Sora. What am I supposed to feel? _How_ am I supposed to feel?"

"However you want to," Sora said.

"Well," Hikari sighed. "I'm _really _hurt. I know it sounds selfish, but I wish he chose our friendship over his mother. I just wasn't ready for him to go."

"Nobody was," Sora replied. "Yamato is still getting his head around it."

"He seems to be coping fine," Hikari glanced at Yamato who was now presently yelling at Taichi.

Sora gave a small smile. "He seems like it, but he really isn't. For some reason, Yamato's been blaming himself for it."

"But it has nothing to do with him." Hikari's gaze was back on Sora.

"Yamato always blames himself on things that are inevitable. It's how he is. Well, asides from anything dealing with your brother," Sora said, lightly. She eyed Taichi and Yamato roll over each other on the grass as they fought for the soccer ball. "On the other hand, Yamato enjoys holding Taichi responsibility for everything that goes wrong."

"That's because Taichi usually _is_ a nightmare," a voice interrupted.

Sora and Hikari's attention shifted to the newcomer and, in return, he grinned back at them and greeted, "Hey."

"Hi Daisuke." Sora replied and Hikari gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

Hikari glared. "You're late."

"We planned to meet around 2pm. I made it at 2:59. I made it on time if you ask me."

The girls laughed at him.

"But _really_? I didn't know you guys knew my sister," Daisuke chuckled, pointing back at the picnic matt where Jun was lying her head on Jyou's lap.

Sora gaped, eyes widening as it dawned over her. "I was wondering who she reminded me of. I should have connected two and two together after she had told me her surname. Small world, I guess?"

"Tell me about it." He scratched his cheek. "Since you're here, Sora...we could use with an extra player? Ken's from our rival school, so he'll be interesting to play with. I was thinking of teaming up with him, and you can play with Taichi. Think of it as the new generation versus the old."

Sora frowned. "Are you implying that I'm old?"

"Deteriorating," Taichi corrected, jogging up from behind Daisuke. Sora stuck her tongue at him and he combated it with a wink. "Come one, Takenouchi! We're legends! Let's take them down. They've only learnt how to walk. It'll be a piece of cake."

Sora shot a glance at Yamato who cowered away back onto the picnic matt. "I'm not playing. Mimi and I call it quits."

"Yeah, Taichi's a psycho," Mimi said, frowning. "An _absolute_ menace."

"That's my brother for you." Hikari giggled, while Miyako queried in bemusement. "What happened?"

"He wouldn't let me win. I could have kicked a goal, but he kept blocking the post!" Mimi pouted.

"That's the purpose of the keeper. Besides, I'm training you up to improve your defense-"

Mimi cried out, "I don't care, Taichi! You're meant to _let_ me win. Leave me alone. I'm eating some strawberry shortcake!"

"_Fine_!" Taichi barked. He turned around to face Ken, Daisuke and I, an evil glint of determination flickered in his eyes. "Are we playing, or what?"

Ken looked scared, Daisuke looked excited and Sora...she high-fived Taichi and with gritted teeth and spat out, "We're killing these toddlers, Yagami! They're going _down!_"

"That's the spirit!" Taichi bellowed.

Daisuke snapped back, "You wish!"

Yamato was guffawing hard, Miyako and Mimi looked appalled at how fierce Sora suddenly became. Jyou was violently sneezing, Jun was shuffling through her bag to find tissues for Jyou, Hikari began to change the mode of her camera to video so that she could record them, while Koushiro _actually l_ooked up from his laptop to witness the spectacle.

The game commenced. Ken was in possession and he skilfully skidded the ball to Daisuke, who effortlessly dribbled the ball, sped past Taichi and passed it back to Ken.

Sora growled, running up from behind Ken. They were fast, alright. She had either taken the younger boys for granted, or she had drastically deskilled. Sora presumed it was both. Sora huffed as she tried to catch up to them, confidence levels hastily dropping. After not having played soccer for a while she was bound to be rusty, and it didn't help that the other boys were evidently better at her.

"I'm disappointed in you, Takenouchi!" Taichi muttered under his breath as Daisuke and Ken briefly hugged each other after a goal they scored. "We might have to resort to a different technique."

"What do you mean?"

"Use your womanly charm to seduce Daisuke and catch him off guard. Seeing how apparently likes you-"

Sora intervened, "He's not crushing on me anymore, _darn it._ Hikari needs to learn to keep her mouth shut. She's turning into you."

"I know he doesn't like you anymore," Taichi muttered. "He's told me, but that doesn't mean you can't still flirt it up to help us win?"

"I knew you were crazy, Yagami," Sora rolled her eyes. "Are you actually asking me to cheat?"

"Yes, because I know we're going to lose at the rate we're going," Taichi said, snidely. "Don't you know how to pass the ball, Takenouchi? Oh wait, you might actually need to steal or receive the ball before you can even do that-"

"Stop being a jerk," Sora grumbled. She was beginning to regret agreeing to the game, as she had forgotten how brutal and competitive Taichi could get.

Despite trying the bat her eyelashes and talk nicely to Daisuke, the younger boy would have nothing of it. She could see the uncanny resemblance he had with Taichi. While Ken, who had been shy and quiet earlier, was more vocal on the field and would yell out at Daisuke when he would miss a pass. Sora even thought that Ken would be nice to her, but he would skilfully snitch the ball from her possession just when she thought she had the advantage. The younger boys weren't cutting her any slack at all, much to Taichi's discontentment. Although Sora and Taichi were sourly losing, Sora couldn't help but feel happy that they were treating her like one of the boys and not letting her have it easy because she was a girl.

By the end of the game, Sora and Taichi had lost drastically scoring nil to four. It was one of Sora's worst scores in history and despite the smirk on Daisuke's lips and the visible triumphant smile on Ken's face, Taichi looked murderous. Sora had a feeling that Taichi would be in a bitter mood the rest of the day, as he had always been a sore loser.

When there was no more food in Mimi's picnic basket and grey clouds began to swirl over them, blocking the sunlight; the group shared the same interest of leaving.

Koushiro, Jun and Jyou were the first to leave. After helping Mimi pack up the rest of the equipment, Sora bent down to carry her own bag and then opened a red umbrella over her when the sky started to lightly drizzle. She thought that, maybe, it was best to try talking to Hikari again as she was still concerned about her behaviour, but Miyako had bet her to it.

Miyako had an arm around Hikari. "Why don't we grab dessert, Hikari? Come on, you never say no to dessert…"

"Yeah, I want to come too!" Daisuke exclaimed, excitedly. "There's a new _matcha_ ice-cream place downtown that-"

"No, Daisuke. It's a girl thing we're doing. Anyway, Ken said that you'll be accompanying him to find new soccer shoes at _Decks._"

Ken blinked. "We are? Since when-"

"Since _now_," Miyako bared her teeth at her boyfriend.

Sora laughed. She was glad that she wasn't the only one who picked out Hikari's mood. She'd let Miyako handle this one since Sora had already tried talking to Hikari earlier and she didn't want to bombard her by making her feel uncomfortable. At least Miyako was closer in age to Hikari than she was.

Daisuke and Ken soon left, which was later followed with Miyako and Hikari also departing.

"I need to go now as well. Will you be alright if I leave?" Mimi asked Sora. "The parents want me to be there for their wedding anniversary. Nineteen years that they've been together! I would have thought they wanted to celebrate being together for twenty years, but apparently nineteen is their lucky number…"

"That's fine. I'm used to hanging out with the boys anyway," Sora reassured. "Are you taking the train home?"

"No. Not with all _this._" Mimi glanced at the single picnic basket she was holding. "I'm taking a taxi."

Sora laughed as Mimi was only carrying one object, since Miyako had been the one who had taken the picnic matt. Nevertheless, whether it was unnecessary or not that Mimi take the taxi, Sora knew that she could at least afford it. _Ah, the privileges of having a wealthy family._

They walked Mimi to the taxi rank, and Sora noted Taichi slip out an umbrella from the front his backpack pocket. He handed it to Mimi and told her to use it while she waited for the car. Sora couldn't help but smile. It was a small gesture on Taichi's part, but it was cute and thoughtful as he usually lacked attention to any form of detail. Sora knew that if it had been her waiting for a taxi, Taichi wouldn't have even considered getting the umbrella out. Mimi was a different case because Taichi cared about her on whole and new different level.

Deciding to give the couple time to see each other off, Sora ambled towards Yamato who was waiting by the corner. The rain had picked up and his clothing was getting drenched, so Sora strode faster towards him and placed the red umbrella over his head. Yamato stared down at her, giving her a thankful grin. He took the umbrella from her so that he was holding it up instead.

Taichi sped up to them after saying goodbye to Mimi. The three lived within walking distance from the park. Just as the three had arrived at the park together, they were also to walk back home together.

"Want to squeeze in, Taichi?" Sora asked, frowning as the rain was getting heavier. "You're getting wet. You might get sick."

"I'm good!" Taichi said. He was trailing along behind them, lightly kicking the soccer ball with every step he'd take.

Yamato grunted. "You shouldn't be kicking the ball while you walk, Taichi. You might bump into other pedestrians or even cars, knowing your luck. The weather isn't good either-"

"Yes dad."

Yamato rolled his eyes. He tore off his his jacket and tossed it at Taichi. "At least wear this. It has a hood."

"Thanks," Taichi finally succumbed. He shrugged it on, but kept kicking the ball.

"Don't worry about him, Yamato," Sora murmured. "He's still recovering from our loss."

Taichi replied in spite, "Which I blame completely on you, _Takenouchi_."

"If it makes you feel any better, then yes it _is _my fault. I admit it and I'm _already_ over it. Whereas you, _aren't._ Your pride is hurt. I get it. But stop complaining will you? You're annoying."

Yamato chuckled, whereas Taichi sulked behind them. "They're _younger _than us. I can't believe Motomiya and Ichijouji bet us!"

Sora shared a glance with Yamato and he merely shrugged, amusement twinkling in his eyes. Since he was holding the umbrella over their heads, she softly jabbed him on his vacant side. He pretended to double up in pain.

"That hurts!" Yamato's voice dropped a decibel so that Taichi couldn't hear him whisper, "Why don't you kiss me all better?"

Sora stomped on his foot in response. Yamato scowled, but kept chuckling.

The three came to a halt at the red pedestrian lights. When the lights converted to green, Sora took a step forwards but was immediately hauled back by Yamato as a car raced past them. If he hadn't grabbed her by the waist, she would have been transported on an ambulance to the nearest hospital.

Sora looked up at Yamato and simpered. "Thanks."

"It was the driver acting like a moron. He shouldn't be trying to beat the red light," Yamato said, crossly. She could sense that he was tense from the tight hold he had around her waist. "You could have been-"

"Thanks," Sora repeated, holding him closer towards her. He finally stared down at her and he smiled back.

He drawled, "Yeah…"

They kept walking on until they heard a voice yell out after them.

"Wait-_WHAT_?!"

Sora glanced behind him to see Taichi standing in the middle of the road, foot stationed on top of his soccer ball as he gawked at them in utter mystification.

"You. Him. Yamato. You're _together?"_ Taichi gasped, incredulously. He was gazing at how Yamato's arm continued to cling around Sora's waist. "Since _when_?"

Yamato's cheeks reddened as he dropped his hold around her, whereas Sora tried to deny it, "Uh, what er...what are you talking about?"

"Real subtle, guys. Real subtle!" Taichi snapped. "I can't _believe _this."

He strode in front of them, still kicking the ball with him.

Yamato made a face at Sora as they tried to job after him, without slipping on the puddles. "Wait up, Tai."

"Why _should_ I wait up?" Taichi said. His back was towards them as he dribbled the ball forward, not troubling himself to turn around and actually face them. "You guys, my _own_, very two best friends won't tell me that they're dating. Do I _smell_ betrayal? If I can't trust you guys, then I've clearly lost trust and hope for humanity-"

"Now you're being over-dramatic," Sora commented, unimpressed, leaning onto Yamato shoulder as they followed after him.

Yamato chided, "Please don't tell me you're really _that_ upset about it."

"I would have liked the heads up!" Taichi replied. "I was rooting for the two of you since the beginning! I didn't hide it from you guys when I told you that I liked Mimi."

"That's because you didn't hide your relationship with Mimi from anybody, you were _parading_ it! Everybody at school knows about the two of you because you're always making out whenever you get the chance!" Sora snapped. "And you don't care about the publicity, Taichi. Do I really have to explain this to you? I'm not like that though! I like to keep things private. And...I don't know. I'm still new to this. I'm new to this, okay?"

"At least, Yamato, you could have told me!" Taichi kept going. "You told me that you thought Sora was cute since the beginning and I was there supporting you-"

"Shut up, Taichi. I hate you, Yagami. That was meant to be between the two of us. What ever happened to bro's code?"

Despite the quarrelling, Sora couldn't resist a giggle as she glanced at Yamato, whose face was getting darker by the second. "From the beginning, huh?"

She kissed Yamato on the cheek, which happened to be the same moment that Taichi swivelled around to catch them.

"_Unbelievable_!"

Sora cried out, "Why are you so mad about this? I thought you were happy for us."

"That's not the point!" He kicked up the soccer ball, catching it and putting his arm around it while his the other hand rested on his waist. Taichi angrily leered at them. "I can deal with you hiding it from everyone else, but why did you have to keep it from me?"

Sora hissed, "Taichi, get off the street-"

"Am I not that trustworthy?"

Yamato stressed out, "There's a car-"

"After all our years of friendship!" Taichi exclaimed. "I should have-"

"_Tai!_" Sora screamed, covering her eyes.

Yamato reacted swiftly. The umbrella fell to the ground as he dove for Taichi, pushing him out of the car's way.

Taichi was the first to get up, blankly getting up, unscathed and brushing off the dirt from his clothing. He looked downwards and saw Yamato sprawled on the asphalt rocking back and forth as he whimpered, holding onto his wrist in agony.

"I hate you, Yagami," Yamato groaned out.

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* * *

Sora stood by the door. She could hear another voice coming out from the hospital cubicle. When she pressed her ear closer, she recognised the person speaking in an instant.

"...tickets. Here. Sorry I won't be able to go with you to it."

"Ah, but Vienna calls. I guess I _can_ forgive you."

If it had been a stranger, Sora would have lingered outside the room longer, but since it was her practically almost-to-be step-brother that was inside with Yamato, Sora decided to creep in.

"Flowers for me?" Yamato beamed when he saw her. Yutaka snorted, but stood up from his seat and ushered for Sora to take his seat.

"I thought, that since I've already given you chocolates, I might as well get you something different," Sora said. "My mother was going to discard these flowers anyway."

Yamato responded, "That makes me feel _so_ much better."

"It's better than nothing."

"Yes, it is," Yamato agreed. He took the bouquet of red tulips from Sora and sniffed them. "Smells great."

Yutaka observed them, and remarked mockingly, "So I guess Sora holds the pants in the relationship if she's serenading you with gifts, Yamato?"

"Trust me, I'll get around to getting her something. But for now she should be already be thankful that she is graced with my company. I'm more than enough."

Yutaka pointed his thumb at Yamato. "I don't know what you see in him, Sora."

Sora laughed.

"I'd be careful of him if I were you," Yutaka uttered, "You sure he didn't hit his head too? He doesn't seem at all that concerned that his injury won't let him play the guitar, for at least, a couple of months."

"Probably works out well," Yamato said. He peered down at his wrist that was bandaged up in the sling. "Our band's officially broken up now, which means that I can concentrate on my studies. I'm lucky that it was my left wrist that got injured because I would have been a goner if I had fallen on my writing hand."

"Never thought that I'd hear the day that the vocalist would betray music for studying. Am I even hearing things right here?" Yutaka retorted.

"Please don't ever use _'betrayal_' in a sentence ever again," Yamato winced. "It's a bad luck word."

Yutaka smirked, patting Yamato on his right shoulder. "Anyway, I should get going. I'll leave the tickets with you, Yamato. Think of it as my parting gift."

"Seeing that you can't go anymore," Yamato muttered moodily under his breath.

"I could drop by a bit later?" Sora offered, realising that they were talking about something that didn't concern her. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"All good. He's all yours, Sora. I'll leave you two love birds alone." Yutaka said. Sora raised an eyebrow at her soon-to-be stepbrother and he grinned. "No, really. I need to go. I haven't packed yet and the flight is scheduled for take off in the next five hours."

"You sure?"

"Certain," Yutaka confirmed, "But while I'm gone, do me a favour and don't cause too much grief for the adults - especially your mother. She's not as bad as you think she is…"

"It's not your business, Yutaka," Sora said, bluntly.

"I disagree," Yutaka replied. "You've been living under the same roof as me for a few months so I know what's going on. You've got to stop avoiding your mother."

"It's not that easy." Sora muttered, "You-"

Yutaka cut her off by giving her a hug before she could properly protest. "Just promise me that you won't cause any trouble. I know that deep down you're a good girl, but try minimise the yelling with your mother will you? I can only rely on you if I leave, so I trust you'll look after my father too?"

Sora gave a small smile, choosing to nod as he wasn't letting her go until she agreed. Yutaka chuckled, releasing her from the embrace. "Good. I'll miss you, little sis."

Before Sora could respond, Yutaka stopped harassing her with the hug, waved at them and then left the hospital room. She stared after him and spoke, "It's sad because I've just gotten to know him, and now he's leaving. I've always wanted an older brother. I hope he'll be alright in Vienna…"

"He'll do great," Yamato stated, confidently. "Trust me, he'll be famous in no time. He was always destined for more than being a keyboardist. It would have been a waste if he stayed here because he's the most talented one out of us lot."

"You have a lot of faith in him."

"Maybe you should too," Yamato suggested. "His judgement is good and his intuition is usually accurate. It comes with being a pianist."

"_Yeah_."

Yamato nudged and teased her, "For now, all you need to do is stick to being a good girl. I'll make sure of it."

"I don't believe you," Sora remarked back. "You're a bad influence."

"Perhaps. That, I won't deny."

Sora rested her head against his pillow and turned to face him, gazing into his tired deep, blue eyes. "You should really get some rest though, Yamato."

"Maybe when Taichi sees me."

"Not yet," Sora told him. "He's feeling really guilty right now. For somebody usually courageous, Taichi doesn't have the guts to face you yet. He's actually blaming himself for the accident."

"We _could_ blame him," Yamato mused.

Sora shot him a look.

Yamato snickered. "But yes, we were in the wrong for not filling him in about us...so I _do_ see where he is coming from, especially when he's close to the both of us. We're going to have to tell everybody eventually, no matter if they like it or not. After what's happened, maybe it's the gods above punishing us for our lies?"

"Maybe we should repent then?"

"But I thought jumping in front of a car was my form of atonement? It's you who should be apologising," Yamato said, stubbornly. "You're the one who wanted to keep it a secret."

"You're the one who agreed with me and said it was a good idea."

Yamato gave a sly smile. "Yes, I did. I was wrong though."

"I'd hit you if you weren't hurt," Sora grumbled. She resorted to playing with a strand of blond hair that had fallen over his eyes. "But you really could have gotten hurt too. What were you thinking?"

"What's done, is done. Anyway, it isn't that bad because I'm only a patient here overnight. I couldn't just stand and there and watch Taichi get hit. My body acted on its own before I had time to think," Yamato laughed. "It's not like I _wanted_ to get hit by car."

She sighed, "I know that you didn't want Taichi hurt."

Yamato replied, "The car almost got his leg. If it had, he wouldn't have been able to play soccer. And the timing would have been bad because this season they're going to be really scouting players from high schools all over Japan. Taichi's already made it in the shortlist and if he had missed out-"

"My, you really are an idiot." Sora groaned. "Self-sacrifice isn't always the right option, Yamato."

He grinned sheepishly. "But you know he would have done the same for me too."

"That's because you're both idiots," Sora concluded.

She tucked Yamato's strand of hair behind his ears and leaned over his face to kiss him. As she did, she could feel him flinch when she accidentally rubbed against his wrist. "_Sorry_."

As Yamato used his free arm to reach up and caress her face, a loud thump distracted them.

Sora squinted her eyes and saw that from the impact of the thump, there was approximately a dozen DVDs that scattered all over the ground. She lifted her gaze and saw a red-faced Koushiro ogling at them.

"You're _together_?"

Yamato automatically retracted his hand back, while Sora sat up straight and gave Koushiro a weak smile.

_Not again_...

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_._

**(a/n)** i'm going to fall sleep. it's past 3am. i will reply to reviews and edit this when i wake up...if i ever do wake up. hope you've all had a great christmas and wishing ya'll a awesome new year too ;)


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Takoyaki Bribes

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter thirteen

**w**hite **l**ies **&amp; t**akoyaki **b**ribes

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* * *

It was quick.

Christmas had passed, then New Years.

And when Valentine's Day came swinging by, for the first time, Sora actually realised that she had her own Valentine. She had made him a box of heart-shaped white chocolates, and in exchange he had went out of his way to prepare something even better for her.

Yamato had bought her a necklace.

Sora wasn't the type to adorn herself with jewellery. If anything, she found jewellery more of a hassle to wear. The process of taking anything off prior to showering, or losing it was difficult for her.

The thin, sleek chain threaded the one, single white-gold star pendant. However, the necklace was more than something that was pretty to the eyes. There was symbolism behind it. Yamato, being the new proclaimed lyricist he was (since he continued to be on hiatus from music, and had focused on writing lyrics and his studies), told Sora that she was his star and that whenever the sky was starless, she would always be present.

Of course, he also had to include a pun on the sky and her name - which then ruined the romantic mood, but that was Yamato. He was always awkward whenever it came to being openly sentimental. Then again, that was what could be said about her too. Sora still blushed over the smallest things to even the tiniest gesture (she still felt shy whenever his hand would brush hers). And, because Yamato was quite the observer, he would always tease her for it.

Skip Valentine's, the end of winter, and the last week of term.

Spring had come.

And Spring brought about many other things that Sora hadn't thought about as thoroughly as she should have. Exam period had come, their last high school year was closing in, and graduation was a breath away.

Everything was happening _very_ quickly. It was like a whirlwind of anxiety had spread its wings and brought her to an unhappy reality.

Sora was reminded that everybody was aiming for something. Everybody was giving their all to achieve their dreams. And she...well, she wasn't sure what she was doing. She kept her grades constantly high, but she couldn't help but sneak glances at the people around her. Taichi already had a spot at a famous sports university. Yamato, somehow, was doing well. Despite having to discard music on the side, he had found his niche and all of a sudden was determined and aiming for a engineering degree.

It frightened her because she still did not know what she wanted.

She was happy for most of the semester. Working, studying, hanging out with Yamato and her friends...but what was to come?

This continuous pattern would soon cease. They'd graduate. It would be harder to see all her friends together. And, to think, one year ago she was on her own with her grandmother and father. She hadn't expected to make so many friends, and now parting from them and going to a new university was going to be difficult. She almost wanted to wish the cherry blossoms away.

Hadn't she done enough coping with change? This whole year had been mainly her adjusting to various things: a new town, a classroom of students, her mother, tennis, brewing coffee, restarting and making new friendships, a first boyfriend…

Sora held the pendent in her hand as she kept walking, as if hoping it would make her feel better.

It made her feel worse.

Would she be separated from Yamato?

What if her scores weren't good enough and she wouldn't be able to make it into any university in Tokyo?

For some reason, the thought of being without Yamato scared her more. She could deal with a hazy future, but having Yamato not in it didn't seem to click well in her mind. Since when had she begun to rely on him so much? Since when did she think that everything he did, influenced her? Although she was as uncertain of her future prior to moving to Odaiba, the unclarity seemed stronger now that she was with Yamato. She was used to thinking for herself, being on her own and independent.

And now, well, everything seemed muddled up…

"You're home, Yamada-san?"

Sora raised her head as she slipped off her shoes and ambled into her home. She gave a small smile at her mother's partner when she saw sitting at the dining table with a newspaper in hand.

As Sora helped herself to some water, he commented. "Drop the formalities, or at least the surname, Sora-chan. Kazuo is fine."

"It still is weird," Sora admitted. "Kazuo...san?"

"That's it."

The older man chuckled, motioning for her to take a seat. He didn't need to because she was going to anyway. Sora had been living with Mr. Yamada for almost half a year now and asides from getting confused what to address him by, she felt more comfortable around him than her own mother.

He had begun talking to her more when Yutaka had left to Vienna, and soon it had become a routine to talk to him whenever she saw him. The apartment was too big, and it was always a good reminder to know that somebody else was breathing in the same environment.

Sora turned on the television and as she returned the remote to the centre of the table, she found a postcard. She half-hoped it was her father, but when she saw old buildings from a European city and not of tropical beaches in Fiji, she knew it was from Yutaka.

What was she thinking? Ever since she had moved to Odaiba, her father had only contacted her a handful of times in the first few months, but over time he had completely stopped doing so. She knew it had to do with the lack of reception in the remote area her father was stationed, but it still hurt that he wasn't accessible and within her reach.

Sora proceeded to read, or more like decipher, the messy handwritten letter. "Seems like he's enjoying himself. At the rate he's going, he might turn out worse than Akira."

"Ah, so you're reading the lines when Yutaka wrote about his thoughts that foreign women are more beautiful than Japanese ladies?"

Sora nodded in disgust, causing Mr. Yamada to let let out a short chortle.

"Did you have dinner? It's late, but I can make instant ramen like a pro if you need me to?"

"No need. I had some food during my break." Sora stretched. Her muscles ached from standing all day. She had picked up extra hours at work since the school holidays and pre-exam study days had commenced. "What are you doing up anyway?"

Mr. Yamada filled her in, "While droning in these tedious politic articles, I'm also waiting for your mother."

"Oh," Sora said, voice softer. "If that's the case, maybe I should get going and head to bed now-"

He cut into her sentence, "Why don't you wait for her? She hasn't seen you for almost a week. She misses you and is worried about you, Sora-chan."

"She worries about me? From my opinion, all she wants to do is yell at me," Sora said, mundanely.

"You know that you're wrong there." Mr. Yamada clicked his tongue.

Sora shrugged. Mr. Yamada and Yutaka were on the same boat. She had tried to take Yutaka's advice about at least making an effort with her mother, but every attempt failed significantly. Either her mother would irritate her to no end, there would be an awkward silence or they'd have a screaming match. Nothing seemed to work no matter what Sora did; then again, it wasn't like Sora put in extra effort to make it work. It was pointless, after all. Her mother and her would never get along. It was a fact.

As if the gods were made to mock her, it was then that they heard the front door open and close. Her mother walked in. Sora's mother's hair was dishevelled and tired. She marched into the kitchen, taking the leftover curry rice from the refrigerator to heat up in the microwave.

"Good evening, hun," Mr. Yamada greeted.

"Evening," Sora's mother yawned. Her mother's eyes then fell onto Sora with a suspicious glint in her eyes. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? Your exams are coming up and staying up late isn't a good thing, unless you're studying."

"Sora-chan just got home from work too," Mr. Yamada told her. "I don't know what's with you women? Finishing late _can't_ be healthy for you."

"Well, she _shouldn't _be working. She needs to focus on her studies."

Sora sighed. It was the same topic that reappeared throughout the past month. Her mother kept bringing up how she should quit her job and solely focus on her upcoming exams. She had told her mother numerous times that she'd be fine, but every time she tried to reason out with her mother, it was like she refused to listen. The cycle of their verbal sparring was draining and Sora was itching to hide inside her bedroom before their fighting escalated.

"I know how to balance it out," Sora replied bluntly. She wasn't even lying to spite her mother because it was true. Despite things getting chaotic, Sora always knew how to stick to a strict schedule and when pressed, she would get the job done due to her sheer determination and stubbornness.

"Work another time," her mother quipped back. "Your part-time job can wait. This will be the only chance that you'll be able to sit these exams and you can't afford to lose focus if you get distracted."

Her mother's words were only fuelling Sora to become more resistive. "Let me do what I want! I already told you that I can handle this!"

"But I don't want you to regret it!" Sora's mother yelled back.

Sora glared. "I'm not like you."

"I know you aren't!" Her mother responded. "I made mistakes and I don't want you to make them too. I put work before my studies, and it kept me in retail. Is that what you want to do? Work in retail all your life?"

"Don't bring up your failures! I'm different to you. It's not my fault you chose to work at a florist!" Sora huffed. "Besides you _liked_ working considering you preferred to be at work than at home!"

Mr. Yamada sent her a warning glance from across the table, but Sora's temper was rising and reaching boiling point. If her mother did or said anything more, she would-

"I worked because we needed money! I worked because it was the only thing I could do when your father did nothing but-"

"He did _nothing_?" Sora had finally snapped. "He _raised_ me mother because you hardly were at home! It was no wonder he left you!"

It was out.

The thoughts that plagued Sora's mind for years were finally exposed and out in the open. These were the thoughts that she had kept hidden to herself ever since she was a kid, and being dragged out of Odaiba by her father. The thoughts that continued to burn in her subconscious, the thoughts that made her see her mother in a negative light.

She hadn't had time to bite her tongue this time, but as Sora looked up, she wondered how her mother would react because Sora was telling the truth. She knew she was right, and her mother was not…

However, there was not a trace of guilt in her mother's face. Her eyes were dull, lips pressed together in a tight, straight line. "Sora, if that's what you think, so be it."

For once, her mother didn't fight back.

Instead, her mother turned around and left her plate of forgotten curry rice on the counter. Her back was facing them, shaking slightly, as she walked away. From the distance, Sora could see her slip back on the heels she had on minutes ago. And, just like that, Sora's mother left the apartment.

Sora gritted her teeth as she stood up from the chair. She gave Mr Yamada a hard look. "She _misses_ me? She's _worried _about me? Yeah right!"

She kicked the chair and left the dining area, stumbling into her bedroom and slamming the door behind her.

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* * *

Sora left for Kyoto a day earlier than she had anticipated.

After the argument with her mother, Sora impulsively packed up her belongings into a small suitcase and, when she was sure Mr. Yamada was out of the living and dining area, snuck out of the apartment and headed to the nearest train station.

Two transfers later, Sora arrived at Shinagawa. It saved her some yen from going back to Tokyo Station since Shinagawa was closer and was the best station for her to catch a _shinkansen_ back to Kyoto.

She glanced at her wrist and estimated she'd get to Kyoto just before ten if she left now. She tiptoed up to the cashier, "The next cheapest reserved seat to Kyoto station please."

"There's one leaving on platform 5 in two minutes. The next one is scheduled in fifteen minutes-"

"The first one will do!" Sora said, not waiting for him to complete the sentence.

He protested, "But-"

"_Here_!" Sora emptied out the contents in her wallet. "I just want to go now."

The cashier raised an eyebrow at her, but quickly took the correct notes and coins before sliding the rest of the money, along with the ticket, to Sora's side of the counter. "You should hurry, miss. It'll leave soon. Platform 5."

Sora gave a deep thankful bow, stuffing the ticket and money into her pocket before making a dash for it. She carried her small suitcase, rapidly jogging down the escalator steps and hopping into the cart number that she was assigned. As soon as she had entered the cart, the train began to move.

One of the workers ushered her to to the designated seat. Her seat was in the middle. The seat next to the window was taken by and older business man, who gave her a curt nod before returning to writing an e-mail on his laptop, and the aisle seat appeared to be occupied too. Although there wasn't somebody physically sitting on the aisle seat, she noted that there was a backpack that preoccupied the seat instead.

Sora sunk into the chair, closing her eyes. Her heart was beating fast and her hands kept fidgeting as she tried to put a stop to her jittering. It was unlike her to do something brash and sudden. This kind of action belonged to Taichi or Mimi as she, was nowhere near the spontaneous type. What was she thinking?

Should she tell Yamato? _No. Not yet._

She had already told him a white lie that she was going on a family trip that weekend. However, she had promised him that she'd see him before she'd leave Odaiba. And now, well...she was already on the train bound to Kyoto and it was too late for that.

The scent of tobacco tickled her nose and it was soon followed with movement besides her. The other passenger had arrived. The scent was familiar, but nevertheless, it still made her nose itch. Yamato smoked on occasion, usually when stressed (and especially when Takeru had left), and it was ironic that the passenger smoked the Yamato's preferred brand as well. Perhaps it was a reminder and a sign that she really _should_ contact Yamato.

To hell with her mother, but she _at least_ owed her boyfriend the details of her whereabouts. After all, it would be nice to contact him as well as she hadn't spoken to him all day. To think that she was actually missing his voice...

Picking her phone out from her pocket, she opened her eyes. As she was about to text, she found herself taking a glimpse at the passenger next to her.

She shuffled closer to him, as if she were seeing things. Fate was really playing with her. She gaped and in return saw that her boyfriend, too, was giving her a taken back stare, clearly surprised as she was.

"_Sora_?"

She replied, "Yamato?"

"What are you doing here?!" They both spluttered out in unison.

Since none of them were making a move to explain, Yamato joked, "You're not cheating on me or anything?"

Sora rolled her eyes. "I needed some time to myself. Besides, I'm not technically lying. I'll be staying with my Grandma for a few nights…and how about you? So much for studying, huh?"

"It's a meditation break," Yamato said.

"Are you going to a temple in Kiyomizu-dera to be monk-for-a-day or something?" Sora remarked. Her lips quirked upwards, picturing Yamato donned in monk clothing, with his head bald as a cue-ball.

He furiously shook his head, taking out a couple of tickets from his pocket to show evidence. "I've got tickets to see one of my favourite bands in Osaka. Was meant to go with Yutaka, but he's ditched me."

"You're not cheating on me or anything, are you?" Sora borrowed Yamato's line. "Who's this other person that you're taking?"

"Nobody." Yamato chuckled. "No stress, I'm not seeing anybody behind your back. I was actually planning on selling my spare ticket at the venue prior to the gig. Sorry I lied to you. It was a small lie. I honestly just needed a break from everything and I didn't want to force you to go to Odaiba with me..."

"Well, you could have asked." But Yamato did have a point. If he had asked her she would have declined him anyway. She had been looking forward to having her own , now that she thought about it, perhaps spending alone time with Yamato would be better.

Yamato grinned. "Why not be my date then?"

"_Please_," Sora smirked. "At least use a better pick-up line than that."

"Should I bribe you with my dazzling charm or shout you some takoyaki?"

"I prefer the latter."

He wriggled his eyebrows. "What about my charm?"

"You don't have any of that, Ishida." Sora smiled. "Feed me takoyaki and then, _perhaps_, I'll go to the gig with you."

"Now you're being difficult. How difficult is it for a guy to ask his girlfriend out to keep him company?"

"Maybe when he stops being clingy."

Yamato chuckled and just hearing him chuckle made Sora feel slightly better. She had been wrong to not tell Yamato that she was going to Kyoto, but she didn't feel as guilty knowing he had lied to her too. They hadn't seen each other for a few days. Despite classes being over, their own work schedules had kept them from meeting up. It wasn't like they were bad at contacting each other through texts and calls, but it wasn't the same than in person.

She rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a deep sigh. "Do you know how good it is to see you?"

"I've missed you," Yamato said, playing with her auburn hair with his fingers.

"At least you have," Sora responded, flinching as she recalled Mr. Yamada telling her the same line how her mother _supposedly_ felt about missing her too. "I've had a horrible night."

"I know you have."

Sora lifted her head and stared directly at him. His azure eyes gleamed, knowingly. She hated it when Yamato had that look because that meant he was reading her, and when he read her like this, he knew that something was wrong.

"What happened, Sora?"

She bit her bottom lip, attempting to give a nonchalant shrug. "Nothing."

"What's wrong with you?"

Suddenly her untied shoelaces looked interesting more than the topic that Yamato was trying to touch.

"I'm fine."

_Lies..._

Sora's shoulders were trembling as she attempted to prevent herself from crying. She was glad that Yamato stopped his questioning as he subtly placed a kiss on her forehead.

He circled an arm around her, drawing her closer to his body. Yamato whispered softly to her ear, "Get some rest."

She really owed it to him for being patient with her.

Sora allowed Yamato to share one of his earphones with her. She presumed it was one of the songs from the band they were going to see. She smiled. It was a good thing that he had chosen a ballad song as opposed to the loud, heavy rock, that she knew that he was more fond of.

She snuggled closer to him and fell asleep.

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* * *

_._

**(a/n)** Happy New Year!

There are bound to be mistakes all around, as I wrote this during really odd circumstances. So, I will eventually get around to fixing up bits here and there. It's a short chapter too, somewhat fillerish...but I needed to split it in half.

Will reply to reviews later on today. Thanks for reading ;)

flipstahhz

P.S. Possibly 4-6 chapters to go now! xD


	14. Chp Fourteen: Nothings Mean Something

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter fourteen

**n**othings **m**ean **s**omething

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* * *

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She felt somebody run their fingers through her hair.

When she gazed up, she saw Yamato looking fondly at her. "We'll be in Kyoto soon. You're getting off here, aren't you?"

Sora nodded. They hadn't spoken for the whole train ride because she had dozed off. She had agreed to go to the gig with Yamato, but they hadn't talked about how they'd meet up afterwards for the concert. It was no big deal as Kyoto was not too far from Osaka, but now that she was going to alight off the train, she didn't want to leave Yamato.

"One more minute," she yawned.

He smiled, helping her pack her belongings. "Will your grandma be awake when you get there?"

Yamato's question caused her to sit upright. Sora was no longer the slightest bit drowsy. She had made a mistake to fall asleep! She needed to book last minute accommodation because she hadn't told her grandmother she'd be arriving that night.

From the way Sora had tensed up, Yamato asked, "She won't be waiting up for you? Do you have the key-"

"Uh...I was going to stay at a capsule hotel for the night. I forgot about booking. Um, well, it was a last minute decision. I was actually meant to arrive at Kyoto tomorrow and-"

"Wait?" The pieces clicked in Yamato's mind. "You have nowhere to stay?"

The look in Sora's eyes told Yamato everything. He soon started packing his headphones in his bag, zipping it up and shrugging it on. Sora shot him a questioning glance and he placed an arm on her shoulder.

"Why are you packing up?" Sora frowned. "Aren't you getting off at Osaka station?"

"I can take the subway to Osaka. It won't be that hard to get to because my accommodation is in Umeda."

"Why?" She said, "It'll cost you more money."

"It's late. I don't want you wandering Kyoto by yourself at night. Besides, I've got accommodation in Osaka. Your ticket is for Kyoto, so we can both take the subway to Osaka together. Just stay with me."

_"Yamato_…"

Although Sora wanted to argue with him, she was tired too. Besides, she didn't have the energy or much fight left in her ever since she had left Odaiba. It didn't help that Yamato's chin was jutted out and his eyes were firm. Whenever Yamato looked like this, he was difficult to talk some sense into. He gave her a firm look and she caved.

"Fine." She succumbed.

Upon arriving at Kyoto station, Yamato helped her carry her bags as they alighted onto another train stationed for Osaka. It would take longer than the shinkansen, but it would have to do.

She smiled, staring at Yamato. At times she felt selfish or even greedy, but most of the times she was thankful for him. He tended to read her mood easily, and was always willing to go out of his way to do things for her even when she wasn't asking for help. After months of dating, it was like they had reached a quiet and mutual understanding...and it was nice.

They reached the cheap business hotel reception. An old lady judged them as she handed Yamato the keys. "You said one person."

"How much extra is it for another?" Sora queried, getting her wallet out.

"3,000 yen."

Sora took three thousand yen notes out, handing it to the receptionist. It was enough that Yamato was letting her stay with him. She wasn't going to let him pay for her when she had intruded his semi-vacation.

"It's for one bed though." The old lady tutted, "Youth these days. At least be less obvious and ask for a twin bed-"

"Then are there any twin beds?" Yamato cut in.

"No." The receptionist scoffed, "Aren't you happy about that, young man?"

Sora tried to bite away a laugh when she witnessed Yamato's face turn as red as a tomato. It was rare to see Yamato this embarrassed. Sora felt a bit ashamed of the situation too, but she was too tired to think straight. She was lucky that the older lady had picked Yamato as her main target.

Not allowing Yamato to sink into further embarrassment, Sora pulled him away from the counter and made their way to the elevator.

Once inside, Sora noted that to the other people inside the elevator, Yamato and her looked like irresponsible teenagers. She looked away from the scornful stares that the other hotel guests sent at both her and Yamato's direction. In a sense, it was understandable as it was late in the evening and they were technically underage.

Goodness, if her mother found out she was staying with another boy she'd want to kill her on the spot. Better yet..._disown_ her.

"We're really in Osaka, huh?" Yamato said as soon as they made it to their room. He dropped their belongings onto floor and stretched his arms above his head. "That woman back there sure didn't hold back her thoughts about us."

"True," Sora agreed. She was accustomed to how straight-forward people hailing from the Kansai area were. Sora hadn't taken the receptionist's words to heart, but Yamato had as it appeared he was_ still_ recovering from how the receptionist had addressed them.

She watched as he propped his legs up and switched the television on. Sora took this opportunity to rummage through her belongings and grab her pyjamas out.

"I'll take a shower first then."

Yamato gazed at her, looking bewildered at what she had said. "Sure? Go for it..."

She caught Yamato's ears turn dark red and it was then that she realised that she might have been implying something else. _She really hadn't been thinking, had she? H_ow silly was she to even say that out loud as if it was nothing? She cringed, wanting to blend in with the hideous wallpaper.

"Uh...you know, uh. I didn't mean it that way!" She squeaked. Awkwardly, she bolted into the bathroom and slid the door shut, cutting off Yamato's outburst of laughter.

Sora leaned against the door, breathing heavily. Was she that tired? The weariness was really getting to her! How could she have said that? She was practically suggesting that they -_ oh goodness!_

If Mimi was there she would have had a ball. She would be giggling at her non-stop. Too bad Mimi wasn't there because now Sora was stuck with her boyfriend in the same hotel room, and she so _happened_ to make the situation worse! Sora was a hopeless mess whenever it came to alleviating awkward situations, as she was an awkward person herself.

She showered, slipping into her pyjamas and after drying her hair, she left the bathroom.

Yamato was sleeping. He had pushed two chairs together, stolen a pillow from the bed and was lying there in a fetal position. He didn't exactly fit in his man-made bed that he constructed because his long legs were huddled towards his chest.

Sora smiled, placing a blanket over his sleeping figure. He was kind of adorable. She often wondered how and why Yamato had picked her over the other girls at their school. He would then joke back and say that he fell in love with how she wore her bunny slippers and that she was a tennis player. She'd kick him back for it and he would double up in laughter.

There was a quiet understanding that they shared. He could read when she was upset, just as she could read when he was mocking her. They respected each other, they trusted each other...and that was all Sora needed.

Somebody she _could_ trust.

It was hard for her, especially when her prime example were her parents and well, they had separated. Opening up to people had been an ongoing problem, but with Yamato it had been easy.

She saw the flashing of light from the corner of her eye. Sora ambled towards where she had left her phone, taking it in her hands and frowning at the missed calls from her mother. She scrolled to the most recent text and found Yamada-san had even sent her a text.

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_I'm guessing you've arrived in Kyoto? We found your message in your room. Your mother is really upset. Even I am, Sora. At least let us know that you're safe?_

_._

Another message was from a foreign number...

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_Stepsis-to-be! Where are you? Do you know how worried the parents are? They even are trying to get me to see if you're alright? Let us know that you're alive and breathing because dad is even thinking about contacting the police! With you being his only daughter, ya know, couldn't you have just listened to my advice? Your mother is trying, so why can't you?_

_._

Sora sighed. She chose to message Yamada-san first, apologising for her brashness and that she was safe, and sticking to the plan that she would be back in Odaiba that Tuesday. Yamada-san gave a quick reply and said that he was glad she was fine, that he would pass the good news to her mother and even wished her goodnight. Sora felt a wave of guilt again.

Before she was going to set her phone back down, Yutaka replied to her message.

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_Don't worry. I got hold of Yamato and he said you were fine. I already passed the message to the adults. Just don't worry us again like that, alright?_

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Sora glanced at Yamato who was sleeping. Had Yamato known all along, even when they had been in transit? Or had Yamato contacted Yutaka while she had been in the shower?

Either way, Sora was thankful. She went back over to Yamato and kissed him on the cheek.

She was about to hop into bed, but knowing that Yamato was lying in such an uncomfortable position was really getting to her. If he were to stay in that fixed position overnight, he'd be sore in the morning.

Sora shook him softly awake. His clear, blue eyes gazed drowsily at her. "Hm?"

"Sleep with me."

Yamato coughed, sitting up straight. "That's the second time you've been all bold with me. Are you even joking, Takenouchi?"

Sora rolled her eyes. "Not literally. Just in bed. You'll be aching tomorrow if you don't. There's enough space for the both of us. You didn't have to be all gentlemanly, you know?"

"But you're my girlfriend."

"Oh, shut up!"

He gave a sheepish smile, but accepted the offer. Sora held her hand out and he accepted it, using her for balance as he climbed out of the peculiar sleeping structure.

Sora settled for the right side of the bed. She turned over and grinned when she saw Yamato's broad back. Feeling sneaky, she rolled over to his side of the bed and wrapped her arms around him. She whispered, "Thanks Yamato."

She felt him stiffen, then relax from her hold.

"Another bold move, Takenouchi."

"Go to sleep," Sora ordered him.

Yamato chuckled back, "It was worth a try."

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* * *

As promised, Yamato took Sora out for takoyaki at Dotonbori. The place was bustling with people, that tourists were frequent and the random foreigner was to be seen every now and again. Yamato stood out that Sora never failed to notice the flicker of interest from the girls that would walk past them.

She frowned, pulling him closer towards her.

"What?" Yamato glanced down at her, questioning.

Sora shrugged, trying to act casual. "Nothing."

It didn't help that when they arrived at the concert, girls continued to glance at Yamato, and for some reason it irritated her further. The crowd was a mix of females and males. At the merchandise stands, Yamato bought himself and Sora a band shirt.

"ONE OK ROCK?" Sora read the text.

"The band's name," Yamato said. "They were originally meant to be called One O'clock, but because our English isn't the best, many people would end up pronouncing their band as 'One OK Rock' instead...so they stuck with it."

"Wow. You're a big fan." Sora laughed.

"Let's just say I've been supporting them since the beginning."

Under her breath, Sora muttered, "Fanboy."

"I most definitely am...and proud of it too!" Yamato puffed up his chest causing Sora to punch him on the arm.

She had never seen Yamato this excited before. His eyes were lit up, the simper on his face never once faltered and it was like he was restraining himself from skipping around the venue. Because he was smiling more than usual, instead of displaying his usual indifferent scowl, Sora let out another sigh at another flock of girls who would be openly checking him out.

"Wasn't he from this underground band in Tokyo?"

Sora even heard one of the girls whisper, "I can't believe he's with _her."_

While Yamato was enjoying the concert to his fullest, Sora couldn't help but feel sour. The music was great, beat was catchy and the lead singer's voice was fragile, yet powerful. No matter what, Sora was distracted by how much attention Yamato was getting by the other fans.

When leaving out of the venue, Sora was pleased to finally get out of the congested place. Considering it was a daytime gig, the sun welcomed them as soon as they set foot back outside. She felt happier to get out.

"How good was it?" Yamato exclaimed. "And the rifts! To see them live like that...wow, I really gotta owe it to Yutaka. They were _amazing_."

"That's the tenth time you've said that," Sora pointed out.

"I can't help it." Yamato gushed like a teenage girl discovering her first crush, "Because they _are_ amazing."

Sora rolled her eyes.

"So what did you think of them?" He turned to her.

"They were fine."

"But you're glowering."

"It's nothing," Sora snapped.

She had always known Yamato was quite handsome, but being with him at the concert proved it even more. To think that she felt so insecure about this? She was being unreasonable, she knew it. But with everything that was going on, the last thing she wanted were girls sneaking looks at her boyfriend. It was like icing to the cake. It really was-

"What's going on?" Yamato said. The playfulness in his eyes disappeared as he gazed at her, attempting to discern her mood. She hated when he did this.

They alighted from the Umeda station and walked back to the hotel.

"Sora…"

She glanced behind him, to see that Yamato had fallen back. "What?"

"You're walking too fast."

"I am not."

Yamato groaned. "Stop being difficult. You're acting like a spoilt brat."

"I'm a spoilt brat now?" Sora fumed. "What are you trying to say, Yamato?"

"That you being pissed off isn't helping anything!" Yamato cried out. "I'm trying here, Sora. I really am. Use me as a punching bag, just tell me what's going on because right now, you're making it really difficult for me to help you!"

"Who said I wanted your help?"

"Are you really going to slip that card out?" Yamato glared at her. "I can't understand what's going on in that head of yours if you won't_ let_ me know what's going on!"

Sora hissed. "Why should I tell you?"

"Suit yourself then." Yamato's eyes turned cold and it was then that Sora immediately regretted what she said. He began to walk past her.

"Yamato…"

She sighed. Sora caught hold of his wrist and he stopped walking, however he wasn't turning to face her and she hated that he wasn't.

"I'm just confused with everything right now," Sora finally admitted. He still didn't look at her, so she continued to speak. "Everything's going too fast and well, I...I don't know! It's hard being around people, even you. I'm sorry I'm sounding so repetitive, but it's not like I'm asking for a pity party. Everybody's striving for something, and I'm stuck here. You quit music, your wrist got all banged up, but you still are focused as ever and are bound to get into a great university."

"You know I'm not perfect, Sora," he replied in a husky voice.

"But you always make it seem that you are!" Sora cried out. "And with Takeru! You act like you're fine, but you aren't. It's like you won't even tell me how you feel-"

"Of course I'm hurt he left!" Yamato was facing her now. His face was contorted in frustration. It was lucky they weren't speaking in a busy street. They both looked hysterical from how they were addressing each other. "It's just not something I like talking about, alright? Takeru chose his life; and it's something I've accepted now. There's no point revisiting something that has happened."

"So this is how it'll be when you leave to a better university and I'm stuck in Odaiba."

"Alright," Yamato said. "Now _what_ are you talking about?"

"It's nothing."

"Don't say _nothing_. You're pretty much giving me the middle finger by bluffing like that. I've known you long enough to know that nothing means _something_."

She didn't reply, avoiding his gaze.

Sora's mother had betrayed her. Her father had left her. The important people in her life tended to disappear from her side, which meant that one day, there would be a possibility that Yamato would too. There was a chance that he would leave her and she would be on her own again. After years of being used to being by herself, it had to be now that she was actually scared of being alone.

Her body was already moving as she released her grip from his wrist. "I'm going."

She paid no heed to Yamato calling after her as she ran away as fast as she could.

_God, she was a coward._

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**(a/n)** And here's the other half. It would have been too many words if I merged this chp and the previous one together. It's quite angsty and annoying at the moment (I hate writing angst, but I am an angsty person at times. lol). It'll get better. And the issue with her mother will eventually be re-addressed again. Anywho, enjoy the rest of your weekend! :) Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Live In The Moment

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter fifteen

**l**ive **i**n **t**he **m**oment

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Sora dusted her hands off. Once placing the garbage in front of the house, she bent back and forwards, trying to alleviate the tension from her lower back. She had spent most of the day doing chores, reorganising the house and helping out in the store at the front of the house. Ever since leaving her grandmother's house, the state of its cleanliness had deteriorated.

She sighed, feeling the sunlight touch her skin. The trees rustled around her and the air was fresh. It was nice to be surrounded by nature again. She had missed being here. Although Sora had longed to be back in Kyoto, her heart felt heavy and her mood wasn't happy to say the least.

"Sora-chan, _osashiburi desu ne?_"

"Hamazaki-san!" Sora bowed, greeting the old lady who had been walking by. Hamazaki-san was their neighbour, roughly around the same age as her own grandmother. She had always treated Sora fondly when she was a child, as she never had any daughters or granddaughters of her own.

"Wait here, will you?"

"_Ah_-"

But the old lady was already walking off, using her wooden walking stick to support her gait as she disappeared into the next house.

Sora giggled when she watched the Hamazaki-san return. In her hands was a small glass jar of wrinkled, dried plums. Sora had missed and _almost_ forgotten the warmth of her old neighbourhood. When in Odaiba, Sora hadn't even recalled striking a conversation with any of the neighbours who lived on her floor. The atmosphere was much warmer than being in the centre of the cold city.

"Hamazaki-san!" Sora groaned, but happily accepted the jar and placed into the apron pocket regardless. "You don't need to give me this!"

"_Umeboshi _is your favourite though," Hamazaki-san replied, giving her a knowing look through her black-rimmed spectacles, which caused Sora giggle more.

Sora kissed the old lady on the cheek and after saying a good-bye, went back inside the house to finish off her work. To keep the loose strands of hair from falling into her face, she tied up her hair and placed a red bandana over her head and proceeded to washing the dishes.

It was when she was about to commence the dusting, that she actually glanced at her buzzing phone.

She hadn't checked it ever since she had arrived to Kyoto the night before. Sora didn't know what had come over herself because she had let her stubborn emotions get the best of her. She had been so hot-heated that she had actually left Yamato without a word. It was cowardly of her, and immature. And now, she wanted to take her words back, and act like nothing happened...but she was too embarrassed to contact him because she had acted quite foolishly.

Peeking at the last missed call, she furrowed her eyebrows when Sora saw that the caller had been Mimi.

Without hesitating, she rang up back. "Mimi?"

"Oh! Sora! Hey, I was trying to call you. How are you?"

Sora knew there was something more to the story than Mimi simply calling her to see how she was. Mimi wasn't the type of person who was patient enough for phone calls. Whenever Sora would hang out with Mimi, they'd often pick a time and location and meet up. Talking in person was more of their thing, not on the phone.

"Great. I'm in Kyoto." Sora started brushing the dust from the furniture in the living room. "Didn't I tell you I'd be gone for the weekend? I'll be back Tuesday."

"Yes, yes. I know."

"_Alright_…" Sora paused, easily picking up the suspicious tone in her friend's voice. "Spit it out, Mimi."

"I heard Yamato's with you."

"Well, not anymore." Sora sighed. "We had a little argument. What did Taichi tell you?"

"Nothing. Well, I was just wondering...did you sleep together?" Sora bit back a laugh at Mimi's sense of subtleness. But, alas, Mimi kept speaking, "I heard that you shared the same hotel room. And if you're together on the same bed, isn't it only natural that-"

"_Mimi_."

"-because even Taichi and I haven't gotten that far. And if that's _why_ you fought-"

Sora hung up the phone. She wasn't going to listen to any more of it. Enough that Yamato had leaked to Taichi that they had a fight, but for Taichi to then tell Mimi and be _accused_ of sleeping together? She hated her best friends; she really did.

"Really?" Sora laughed to herself. She was in the middle of dusting the family's _shamisen_ until she heard the front door open, which was later followed with her grandma calling out to her.

"Sora-chan, where are you?"

She yelled back, "In the living room, grandma!"

Waiting for her grandmother to find her, she bit back a gasp when Yamato wandered into the room. He avoided her gaze, scratching the back of his neck. In his hands, were her belongings. Sora's face reddened as soon as she noticed it. He had gone out of the way to return her things?

Considering Sora had left Yamato in a rather hasty manner, she hadn't gone back to the hotel to retrieve her duffle bag. She had been too angry that it hadn't even crossed her mind until she arrived at her grandmother's place, that she was, in fact, empty handed. Thankfully Sora had her old belongings in her old room to wear.

"Thought I'd return this to you." Yamato quietly said, placing the bag onto the ground. "I had to _almost_ beg Taichi to give me your old address. You do owe me a couple of words, Sora."

"Thanks?" Sora answered back, but she knew Yamato wasn't satisfied with her reply. He chose to sit down. Sora exhaled out. "Can't we talk about this some other time?"

"Then _when_? I can't read your mind." Yamato scolded her, spreading out his legs as he made himself comfortable on the chair. "I thought we were better than this. Tell me what's going on. We're usually honest to each other and right now, you've been-I don't know..._weird?"_

Sora sat down, opposite to him. "It's not really helping when you come here unannounced either."

"Better unannounced than running away," Yamato snapped back. Sora flinched. The words had hurt, but she had deserved it. His tone softened. "Just tell me what's going on, Sora."

Her eyes met his. Sora hated how his eyes were emotive, flaring when irritated with anger, fiery when passionate, cold when hurt. And, right now, they were reserved, uncertain and glowing in confusion. Above all, she could sense he was just as upset as she was, despite her not even telling him anything.

She couldn't take it. Sora hadn't meant to hurt him by not saying anything to him. Yamato was right. They were always honest with each other, and by her keeping everything to herself was causing him to doubt her, to doubt them.

Sora got up from her seat and took a seat next to him. She held onto his hand, before drawing him in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry."

Sora observed as his shoulders loosened up and the breath he was holding in, escaped. His eyes twinkled and a small smile formed on his lips.

"I-I," Sora stammered. "A lot has been going on. Whenever I get into big fights with my mother, I get edgy like this. And I ran away from home that other night because it went out of hand. It was worse than usual because, well, my mother had _actually _left the apartment. She doesn't do that. She's _never_ done that."

"So you feel guilty?"

"A tad." Sora admitted, "Maybe a lot. I'm still resentful that she called it quits with my father and she, somehow, expects us to be all normal. I hate it. She has no right to tell me what to do when she is wrong!"

Yamato pointed out. "But you can't apply that to every decision or thoughts she wants for you."

She frowned. "You're meant to take my side."

"I can't agree with you on everything," Yamato reasoned out. He reached out to hold her hand. "Maybe because I keep contrasting your mother to mine, that I know yours isn't half that bad-"

Sora's gaze dropped to their hands as he continued to play with her grasp. She grumbled, pouting, "Perhaps we should trade then."

He chuckled.

"Jokes aside, thanks for telling me. I was beginning to think that I did something wrong."

Sora titled her head, eying him thoughtfully. "Well, it was you too."

"And what is that meant to mean?" Yamato narrowed his eyes.

"I get jealous." She shook her head, looking away from him as a blush resurfaced on her cheeks. "You're good at everything, that sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you. Other girls seem to think so too. And I've tried to ignore it for a while, but I find myself wondering why somebody like you is even with me. There are prettier girls-"

"Where are you getting these ideas from? When a girl like you is dressed in a cute bandana, tight shirt, short shorts and a frilly pink apron? Sora, I think you're beyond attractive," Yamato said, mischievously.

Sora's eyes widened, appalled. She had forgotten about her attire and having Yamato witnessed her wearing what she was in horrified her greatly. Her clothing was tighter because she had grown taller and slightly curvier over the past year she had been in Tokyo. And, the fact, that she was wearing a worn out shirt and a dirty apron was, to no ends, embarrassing as hell. Although he was saying it a joke, she caught him sneaking a glance at her chest.

She brought her hand back to her, frowning when she hit him with a cushion. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"And I'm trying to tell you that you're thinking _way _into everything," Yamato stated. "You should know, already, Sora...that I like you for being you. Anyway, you've always been beautiful to me. I thought you already knew that…"

"I don't even wear make-up and-"

"Because you don't need it." Yamato sighed. "That's one of the reasons why I like you is because you don't fish for compliments. Jeez, if I knew you were this insecure, I should have told you how stunning you look every day."

Sora warned, "_Yamato_."

"However, I know you'd hate that." Yamato smirked. "Unless you want me to-"

She flashed him a glare, which he shrugged off. He glimpsed the time on his watch then stood up from his chair.

Sora stared at him curiously. "Where are you going?"

"Now that I know we're good, I should get going." He told her, "I've got a train to catch."

"But you've only arrived," Sora protested.

"That's why you should stay." Her grandmother was standing by the doorway, barely managing to hold a wooden tray consisting of a plate of mochi, dull-blue teapot and two ceramic tea cups.

Sora jumped out of her chair to take the tray off her grandmother, placing it onto the table. She chided, "Grandma, you shouldn't be carrying this by yourself."

"I can handle things well on my own! I'm not like Hamazaki-san. I don't need a walking stick because I am strong. Your idiot father and you have left, and I think that I've been faring quite well without you." Her grandmother bragged. "Who do you think manages the store _this_ well?"

Yamato laughed while Sora rolled her eyes. Now that her grandmother had started, Sora knew that she was going to go on one of never-ending rants.

"You'd better get going then, Yamato," Sora advised him. "She's going to trap you into one of her stories and then you'll be stuck here for hours."

"Nonsense!" Her grandmother cried. "You've been all gloomy ever since you returned here, and when he comes by, you look happier!"

"_Grandma_!"

Yamato chose not to intrude into the conversation, enjoying the light quarrel between Sora and her grandmother.

"Sora, he's a good-looking boy. How can you send him off? He went all the way to Arashiyama to find you and this is what you do? It's absolutely ridiculous! Haven't I taught you better than that? Don't you even _know_ how to flirt?"

She was burying her hands into her face, feeling utterly humiliated. "_Please_ stop."

"It's obvious he likes you." Her grandma scoffed. "Just go out on a date with him already."

"Grandma, he _is_ my boyfriend."

"Then act like a couple!" Grandma snapped, lips quirked upwards. "He's a handsome one. Maybe there is a chance I'll see my future grandchildren after all…"

"Goodness," Sora cringed as Yamato began to openly guffaw. Sora wasn't sure whether Yamato was laughing at Sora's reaction or her grandmother's blunt words.

Sora's grandmother turned to Yamato. "Son, you're staying tonight. See if you can rebook your tickets for tomorrow instead. There is a cherry blossom matsuri tonight and it's not often you drop down to Kyoto, do you?"

"Uh...no."

"It's decided then. You're staying tonight. There's a spare room next to Sora's. I expect that the two of you youngsters enjoy the festival tonight. I'll look after the store."

Sora gawked after her grandmother, who had marched off while muttering about changing the bedsheets in the third room. Her grandmother was on a mission, and she not going to take 'no' from Yamato.

"Guess I'm staying here one more night then…"

"Sorry." Sora apologised in behalf of her grandmother.

Yamato smiled, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Kansai people have no filter right?"

"_Definitely_," Sora agreed, falling back into her chair in absolute exhaustion.

"Is there really a cherry blossom festival happening?"

"Yes." Sora said. "It's a yearly tradition. Actually, we should probably head into town. I still want to show you around…"

"Are you sure?" Yamato asked. "Aren't I interrupting your meditation time?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, my grandmother _does_ have a point." Sora told him, "Give me a minute. I'll be back in a tick."

Sora found him surveying the _shamisen_ when she stepped back into the living room. He was curiously flicking one the strings, so focused on the instrument's sound that he spoke to her without turning.

"Hey Sora, you were serious about playing this. I thought you were kidding. It's quite a peculiar instrument…"

"Yeah. I'll show you how to play it," Sora answered, taking the instrument from the stand and she was about to demonstrate to him how to play it when she noted that the mystified look on Yamato's face. "_What_?"

"If you want to fish for compliments, right now is a good time," Yamato commented. He pointed at her. "That _yukata_ looks good on you."

"You're complimenting the yukata," Sora remarked, but she was grinning.

She thought, that if they were to enjoy the cherry blossom festival, it was only fitting that she wore her yukata. It was a dominant cream in colour, with a floral pattern of pink, peach and red. She had her hair tied up with a simple ribbon and had made sure to wear the star necklace that Yamato had given her.

"You look jaw-breaking?" Yamato tried again and Sora couldn't help but laugh.

Sora smiled. "You suck at this."

"You look hot?"

"Now that's boring." She placed the instrument back onto the stand, suddenly remembering. "Oh, you can borrow my father's!"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Your father's _what_?"

Sora quickly rushed to her father's room and rummaged through his closet. When she found her father's yukata she hurried back into the living room and handed it to Yamato. "Try it on."

"It looks big."

Despite Yamato's comment, Sora urged him to try the navy-blue yukata on. He ran one arm through the large sleeve, then the other. It was an overstatement because Sora noted that Yamato could hardly move in the garment. The fabric was lose all around and was even dragging on the ground when Yamato tried to amble around the room.

Sora knelt down and pulled open the bottom drawer to the bookshelves, yanking out a measuring tape, pins and chalk. She ordered, "Stand still."

Once Sora had taken the measurements, she took the yukata off Yamato and placed it under the sewing machine.

She knew her father wouldn't mind her giving it to Yamato, as her father had many yutakas and they were always of the same colour or shade. Besides, it wasn't like her father was going to be at the cherry blossom festival this year. He had promised her that he would, but he hadn't even gotten around to contacting her. Admittingly, on top of arriving back to her home in Kyoto, she had expected her father to be there...and knowing that he wasn't, had made her sadder.

Nevertheless, today was different. Yamato was here and she was determined to show him a good time in her hometown, Arashiyama.

"That was quick," Yamato said, amazed by Sora's alteration skills.

Sora shrugged. "I do this all the time."

"Well, it looks great. Thanks Sora." Yamato spun around, feeling the cool material against his skin as it taking the clothing for a test drive. Sora laughed, then told him to stand still again so that she could wrap the obi around Yamato's waist. When she had finished he held out his hand.

"Ready?"

Looking up at him, she gave a bright smile. "Yes."

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It was like a dream.

The light breeze sent petals of cherry blossom to flow and disperse around them. As they walked down the footpath, they held each other's hands. They took in the nature around them, astonished by the pink and green breath-taking landscape. It was surreal.

For Sora, it was different this year. She was used to the surrounding because Arashiyama _was_ a beautiful place. But, because she was now living in Tokyo, she could now comprehend why people traveled all over the world to visit this place. That, and well, she had her boyfriend as company. With Yamato holding her hand, everything possibly felt more beautiful.

When they had stopped, and taken a break at the peak of the Monkey Park Mountain, Sora found it highly entertaining to discover that Yamato had a monkey phobia. She had realised when she was trying to get him to feed the monkeys, he wouldn't even pull out a hand because he was frightened that they would bite his fingers off. And, when Sora got him to attempt to feed the monkeys, she giggled when she saw how shaky Yamato's hands were. Displaying her sentiments, Sora instead reached for Yamato's hands to calm him down and fed the monkeys herself.

They shared a black sesame ice-cream, browsed through various shops (where they bought souvenirs to bring back to their friends) and even went to hike up another mountain. From the opposite mountain peak, they could see the Togetsukyo bridge, a forest of green trees, with sporadic splashes of pink from the cherry blossoms. Below them, a deep, emerald green river flowed. Wooden boats sailed across the stretch of water.

Wherever Sora looked, everything was picturesque.

"No wonder it was hard for you to get used to Odaiba," Yamato spoke, still gazing around at their environment in disbelief. "I'm glad I didn't leave today."

She was elated that she had been able to take Yamato here and his presence lifted her mood.

"Same." Sora smiled again, holding tighter on his hand. Her cheeks were hurting from smiling too much.

They were now strolling through the bamboo forest, sunlight filtering through the foliage. After having just visited one of the temples to pray for their upcoming exams, they began to walk down to the river bank.

"Do you want to go on it?"

Yamato motioned at the line wooden row boats that were anchored to along the pier. Because the couple were hesitating, a worker advanced towards them. "Why not go for a ride? We charge by the half hour-oh, _Sora-chan?_"

"Ryuhei-san?" Sora exclaimed.

She gave the older boy a hug. Ryuhei-san happened to be Hamazaki-san's grandson. He was already in his mid-twenties and periodically returned to Arashiyama to help run the town's boating business whenever he wasn't in Osaka.

Ryuhei winked. "Are you on a date?"

"You could say that," Sora replied, shyly. "This is Ishida Yamato."

Yamato gave a short bow, but the expression on his face was unreadable.

"Don't worry about paying. The ride's for free if it's for you, Sora-chan," Ryuhei gave a toothy grin, patting Sora on the head. He dragged the rope inwards so that the boat was sitting parallel to the pier. "Do you know how to row it, Yamato-san?"

"I can learn to. I generally get the hang of it when I try to-"

Ryuhei offered, "Then why don't I show you?"

Yamato brushed the older boy off. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll figure it out."

"Sure. Just don't paddle too close to the rocks and there's a barrier further down the river that has a stop sign from going past it," Ryuhei explained.

As Sora was about to board the boat, Yamato butted in before Ryuhei could hold his hand out. Ryuhei smirked at Sora behind Yamato, and Sora naturally send Ryuhei a scowl. The older boy was tirelessly teasing her, even when she was younger. She knew that Ryuhei was doing this intentionally to get under Yamato's skin because while Hamazaki-san treated Sora like her own daughter, Ryuhei also treated Sora like his younger sister.

Ryuhei kicked the boat away from the pier and soon they were surrounded by the emerald green water. Birds chirped, other boats slowly rowed past them, and from where they were Sora could see a copious amount of people dressed in colourful yukatas, huddling around the land.

It was then that Sora realised that they weren't moving.

She sent a questioning look at Yamato, who returned a sheepish smile. "So...how am I meant to stir this thing?"

Sora laughed. She wouldn't be laughing at her date if she hadn't known how to stir the paddles. Fortunately, as a child, her father (and even Ryuhei) had taught her how to. She bit her bottom lip from laughing again as Yamato again attempted to stir the paddles, only to find that their boat was gradually heading back to the pier.

No matter how much Sora would teach and tell Yamato how to row, he continuously kept failing because he had talent for being uncoordinated. Perhaps there was something he was bad at after all. Firstly, Yamato was terrified of monkeys...and now she had discovered that he was _terrible_ at rowing a boat.

She said, "Let's swap."

"What?"

Sora was already crawling to the other side of the boat. She heard Yamato let out a series of curses, as the boat began to rock violently by her movement. He stared at her in disbelief, face paling as he spluttered out, "SORA! STOP IT!"

"Well, we weren't moving...so I thought I'd move it to some extent," Sora replied, causing Yamato to swoop his hand into the water and splash water on her. She giggled. "That's no way to treat a lady."

"Then how does the lady suggest to be treated?" Yamato wriggled his eyebrows, which caused Sora to copy his movement and splash water back at his direction.

After they had settled down and decided to call truce from further wetting each other, Sora began to row the boat. They propelled forward and when she got tired from rowing, she reduced the speed and eventually drew the paddles into the boat. The boat floated along with the river's flow.

"And you're a real gentleman," Sora sarcastically commented, laughing when she saw that Yamato had laid back, smiling as the sun shone down onto his face. "Something tells me that you were lying to get me to do all the hard work."

Yamato sat up, shuffling closer to her so that their knees touched. "I'm not that mean."

His eyes crinkled in amusement. He produced a handkerchief from his back pocket and began to dab away the sweat from Sora's forehead.

"This is what I mean," Sora sighed. "I'm not exactly the type to tickle anybody's fancy…don't you find me at least the _slightest_ bit disgusting? "

"No," Yamato whispered, blue eyes gazing intently at her. "Because you're as real as they get."

"But-"

Yamato cutted in, "Sor, stop doubting yourself. You need to let go of all these negative and dark thoughts of yours and simple see things for what they are. We're having a great time at the moment, so there's no reason to hold back onto the past and what has happened because we are living now. At this moment _everything _is perfect and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You think so?" Sora gave a small smile.

He confirmed, "I know so because I'm with you."

Sora leaned closer towards him, resting the palms of her hands onto his knees. As she perceived Yamato closer, she saw that his breaths increased, his lips were trembling and eyes were wavering. It was on a rare occasion that she saw Yamato spoke so passionately, and truthfully. He rarely showed this side to anybody.

Whatever he was feeling, Sora knew that she reflected his emotions too. It felt dangerous. Since when had they begun to rely on each other this much? Sora hadn't realised how much she craved, how she longed for him whenever he was absent...and by Yamato merely being there caused her to feel all jittery inside.

Yamato confessed, "I'm in love with you, Sora."

Their tongues collided. She wasn't sure who kissed the other first, but soon she felt his hands go through her hair, holding her, caressing her that she was at a loss of words.

Sora knew that, despite it all, she had Yamato and he was _more_ than enough.

Because she loved him too.

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_*osashiburi:_ long time no see

_*umeboshi: _sour, pickled plums

_*shamisen:_ a traditional japanese instrument (mentioned in chp 6)

_*mochi:_ a japanese dessert/delicacy made from glutinous rice

_*Arashiyama:_ Google it &amp; then you'll know how stunning the place is. It's located in the outskirts of Kyoto, not Kyoto city

_*matsuri:_ festival

_*yukata:_ think a kimono's summer version, lighter material.

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**(a/n)** Since there are a bit more Japanese references in this chapter, I made a little guide for some words you might have not understood.

Some parts/scenes in this specific chapter is quite relatable to me, so I found it very odd/painful to write. I've been to Arashiyama on numerous occasions whenever I'd travel to Japan, so there are some memories I may have unintentionally incorporated into this chapter. Arashiyama holds a special place in my heart. Perhaps it's just for one final nostalgia kick on my behalf, who knows?

Nevertheless, the scenes in this chp have been in my head since chp one...and I just thought it would be very matching to post it up on Valentine's Day.

Thanks for reading :D Sorry for the long author's note.

**P.S.** Either 3-5 more chps left! (And the Sora/her mother thing will soon be touched, I promise. I won't leave that hanging).


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Topsy-Turvy

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**[STARLESS SKY]**

chapter sixteen

**t**opsy-**t**urvy

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Yamato was leaning over Sora's seat. Instead of addressing her, he was focused on the middle-aged man that was sitting next to Sora.

"It's a window seat," Yamato bargained, waving the ticket in his hand. "You can even see Fuji-san from the seat and it's conveniently closer to the lavatories."

Sora tried not to laugh. She had told Yamato that roughly three hours not sitting next to each other wouldn't kill them. However, Yamato insisted that he wanted to sit next to her. She, too, wanted him to sit besides her, but she didn't want to cause a commotion on the train.

Through dark-rimmed glasses, the older man looked up from his newspaper. "How bad you want to sit here, son? You seem to like her more than she likes you."

Now Sora was giggling as she watched Yamato's face turn red. Although Yamato was still in process of formulating a reply, the middle-aged man stood up and picked up his briefcase, taking the ticket from Yamato and proceeding to find the allocated seat.

Sora remarked, "Well, that was easy."

"Like how I easily threw away my manly pride to be with you," Yamato murmured, plopping onto the seat besides her.

"If it makes you feel any better, I still think you're still a worthy man," Sora teased, poking at his bicep. It was Yamato's turn to chortle. She pushed closer against him, feeling his breath against her neck, she let out a sigh. "Instead of a man, perhaps you make a better pillow?"

"User." Yamato quipped back, but his eyes were lit up in amusement. "Now you're just taking advantage of me."

The train started to move. Soon the houses turned to blurs, then transmitted to greens as the train went rapidly through rural areas. It was a different sensation, knowing that she was was going back to Tokyo.

Almost a year ago she had felt the reluctance, the hesitation of adjusting to a new environment, and now she felt ready to face whatever was pushed at her direction. With her friends, old and new, plus Yamato by her side, she felt more confident and capable of facing what was to come. The future was still an enigma, but at least she had people by her side who would be there for her. She didn't have that before, and she was relieved that she did now.

"I met Jyou on this train," Sora told Yamato. "He was pouring over medical books the first time I saw him."

"Do you fancy talking to strangers?" He scrunched his eyebrows in concern. "Maybe it's a good thing that I decided to sit next to you after all. You're easy prey."

She laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Yamato."

"To be honest, I thought you had a crush on Jyou," He revealed. "Before I even knew that I liked you, I was already jealous of your friendship you had with him. I think it was because he was older, and is quite a capable guy despite him doubting himself a lot. I kinda felt threatened."

"What about Taichi?"

Yamato snorted. "Not at all. You two are more like siblings who love to argue."

"Tell me about it." She sighed. "He's been such a pain lately."

The thought of Taichi exasperated her. Ever since Yamato and Sora had become official, Taichi would do things to irritate them. He would interrupt them when they'd hold hands, make corny jokes, and would get offended when he was stuck with the both of them, immaturely claiming that he was '_third-wheeling_'. It was partly Sora and Yamato's fault considering they hadn't let Taichi know when they were dating. To this day, Taichi would _still_ bring up how terrible they were from keeping it from him.

They really needed to do something about it to get him to stop...

As if reading her mind, Yamato replied, "Leave Taichi to me."

"Tai's just been feeling uncomfortable around us. We're his best friends and he doesn't like hanging with the both of us at once anymore because he thinks he's interrupting our time together." Sora muttered, "We were fine hanging out as I group, so I don't know _why_ he needs to make it so difficult."

"I'll talk to him," Yamato inferred. "He's just being jealous that we're hogging each other and he's not included."

"Why does he have to be _so_ childish?" Sora grumbled. "He's almost like our own adopted son."

"Just don't include Mimi to the mix because then we'll _really_ strike a mid-life crisis," Yamato deadpanned. "Imagine having a daughter like her. Now _that_ would be crazy."

Sora swatted Yamato on the arm. "Mimi's not _that _bad. Don't tease her like that."

In fact, Mimi had been the opposite to Taichi when Yamato and Sora had started dating. Mimi never failed to embarrass them. Mimi forced Sora to go lingerie shopping with her and whispered to Sora how she secretly dreamed of Taichi in a g-string (which had made Sora almost barf in the store). She announced it to everybody in school that Sora and Yamato were together, and would even make a scene of scooting away from Sora on the table, so that Yamato could sit in the empty space she had left for him. While Taichi's hobby was to break Yamato and Sora apart at times, Mimi acted like she was the president to their very own fan club.

Yamato fell asleep just before the shinkansen stopped at Nagoya. Sora smiled and watched as his head drooped, mouth slightly agape as he slept on her shoulder. It was like they had switched positions when they had been bound for Kyoto a couple of days ago. She had fallen asleep on him; and presently he had fallen asleep on her. What was the purpose of Yamato swapping train seats with the older man if he was going to fall asleep on her?

She kissed his cheek regardless.

That subtle movement stirred him awake. He blinked a bit, gazing at her. "Did you do something?"

"Nothing." Sora denied with a small smile.

Yamato shrugged. His eyes drifted over to a lady who was pushing a trolley down the aisle. Although they had only eaten lunch an hour ago, Yamato appeared to _still_ be famished. He bought three bars of chocolate, two bottles of milk tea and a bag of corn chips. Sora wondered how Yamato didn't gain weight, especially when he hardly exercised and feasted on junk food on a daily basis.

"Don't criticise me," Yamato said, surveying the way Sora was staring at him. "You know you want some."

"True," Sora agreed. She helped herself to a bar of chocolate.

Yamato joked, "I didn't tell you that you could help yourself."

"Too bad," Sora said, taking a big bite into the chocolate bar. Cookies and cream - exactly what she wanted. She savoured the chocolate melting on the tip of her tongue. "I'll disown you if you don't let me eat it."

"Does it even matter? You already demolished one bar. Save some for me," Yamato sulked. "Anyway, I think that I'm _way_ too pretty to be disowned."

Sora rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

He laughed, but placed the other bottle of milk tea in front of her.

The train slowed down at Yokohama Station. Sora simpered fondly when she watched a little girl run up to the platform. The child looked approximately around five to six years in age. She wore a soccer jersey of Manchester United. Sora's father had bought her the same, exact jersey for a present two years ago. Sora felt happy and proud for it was rare that she saw somebody, especially a girl, attired in a soccer jersey. Most kids were forced into dresses and skirts, but this child seemed to not be like many girls.

She reminded Sora of herself.

"Nao-chan!" She heard a voice call out for the kid. Because the train doors were open, she could hear the conversation between the little girl and her father.

"Papa! Can we say goodbye to the train? Let's wave to everyone."

"We can't. We have to go now, Nao-chan."

Sora felt a pang of jealousy. Witnessing the girl waddling over to her parent, made Sora miss her own father. Sora had tried contacting him, but she had surmised that her father had been terrible at contacting her as of late. It was something that was common for her father, since he was always busy with his tight schedule and research. Sometimes Sora wondered whether he loved his research more than her…

The kid ran towards her father, holding onto his hand. "Mama is waiting for us so we have to hurry!"

As the father turned to pat his daughter on the head, Sora caught the man's smile. What made her peer more at the father-daughter was the sound of the man's voice. It sounded exactly like Sora's own father.

She held her breath, breaking out in a cold sweat as reality hit her.

He reminded her of her own father because the man _was_ Sora's father…

"_Sora_?"

She stood up, ignoring Yamato's voice as she ran towards the door. In timing, the train doors clamped shut. Sora slammed her fists onto the window, but the train was already departing. Her father hadn't noticed her pounding onto the glass, clearly immersed with the younger sister that Sora never knew she had.

Sora felt helpless because all she could do was stand there and watch in horror as her father disappeared. The image of her father holding his other daughter's hand burned in her memory, as she stayed standing on the same spot, frozen and not knowing what to do.

"Hey Sor," Yamato said. He placed two hands on her shoulders, pivoting her around so that she could directly look at him. "Are you alright? It looks like you've seen a ghost."

"Y-Yamato? M-my father?" Sora blinked, still trying to figure out what had happened. Had she been delusional? She shook her head. No. It was him. She'd recognise that voice anywhere. Her father..._her_ father. "I saw him!"

Sora didn't even realise that Yamato was shifting her back towards their seat. "You're worrying me. What about your father? Isn't he in Fiji?"

"He's _meant_ to be in Fiji," Sora bluntly said, running her fingers through her hair while attempting to make sense of her disarray of thoughts. "But it was him. He was at Yokohama Station. I _know_ it's him."

"Maybe he went home earlier? He hasn't had the chance to tell you-"

Sora emphasised, "Yamato, it's _not_ about that!"

"Then what is it about?"

Her jaw was tight as she clenched her teeth, eyes fixated with fury.

She growled, "He _lied_ to me."

* * *

.

Sora was meant to return to Tokyo less tense. She was meant to come back without any burden on her shoulders and feel refreshed after a pleasant break in Kyoto. She was _meant_ to start on a clean slate and be in the right state of mind to commence on revising the content for her upcoming exams.

_How quickly her simple strategy had retaliated…_

Yamato had tried to comfort her on the train ride back, but even he didn't know the right thing to do or say. She told him that he'd call him later because she wanted to come to terms with situation on her own. Sora had always trusted her father and believed him to always do the right thing, and from one mere moment Sora's world had been turned upside down. A simple divorce would have been cleaner, but to think that her father had been lying to her the whole time! He had been hiding a different entity that she didn't know existed.

And she was hurt.

_How could her father have acted innocent this whole time? Why? Didn't he want to be her father anymore? Why wasn't he answering her calls anymore? Why wasn't he contacting her? Why-_

The jumble of thoughts stirred in her mind and while she tried not to think about it, the thoughts became more vivid and escalated with her getting even more confused and furious. Sora had never felt this kind of betrayal before.

And her mother...had she known all along? Why hadn't she told her?

Why hadn't she questioned or thought about it earlier? Why had Sora judged her mother without taking a step further and seeking out more answers. She had jumped to conclusions straight away, and had often let her stubbornness get the best of her. It was her own bad habit that she had developed the feeling of associating her mother to anger because she had been too blinded in hatred to think that there had been an alternate reason behind her parents divorcing.

Sora continued to try and get her mind around what she had witnessed when she ambled back into the apartment. She almost was about to walk in with her shoes in until Mr Yamada pointed at her feet, taking her bags from her as he greeted her with a withering look.

"Welcome back." Mr Yamada said, lips tight in a frown. "It's good to finally see you show up again considering you barely kept in contact with us over the weekend."

"Yeah…"

Sora replied, half-listening. She really didn't feel like talking, but Mr Yamada had another thing in mind.

"I'm disappointed in you. I don't care if you have problems with your mother, Sora, but you need to give us the common courtesy to tell us where you are!" Mr Yamada yelled.

His voice finally broke into her thoughts as Sora gazed up at her mother's partner. Sora had never seen Mr Yamada look this mad before. His forehead was creased in lines of worry, mouth fixed in a scowl and eyes bloodshot from, what she assumed, lack of sleep.

Not knowing how to react to Mr Yamada's different side, Sora kept quiet.

Mr Yamada took her silence to his advantage and ordered, "You will not go to your room until we've talked everything out. We're sitting at the dining table. I've made udon."

Sora stared after him, irritated. She had just been exposed to news about her own father, and now this stand-in father figure is treating her like this. She didn't want to deal with this. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty because she had never really had any issues with Mr Yamada and it was out of his character to act the way he was acting.

She took a seat opposite to him as he prepared the table. She let out a sigh, rubbing her eyes to stay focused. A steaming bowl of udon was placed in front of her and she gave a small bowl in gratitude. Dipping her chopsticks and soup spoon into the bowl, she stirred the noodles around, but couldn't bring herself to eat it.

"Where's my mother?" Sora bluntly asked him.

"You're grounded, Sora!" Mr Yamada ignored her and started to rant, "How can you go off like that and do your own thing without telling us? To think that I had to go to the extent to get Yamato's phone number from Yutaka."

Sora hung her head down. There was no point squabbling with Mr Yamada because she knew it was her fault. She was guilty for leaving. The punishment was appropriate and, nevertheless, it wasn't going to affect her that much as she soon was going to default to hermit mode because of her studies.

"I'm sorry." Sora meant it.

She had been brash and had gone overboard for leaving to Kyoto without a single word to them. However, she couldn't un-see what had happened. Her father had a different family and she wanted answers. Although she knew that she wouldn't get an answer from Mr Yamada, she took a stab at it anyway and changed the topic altogether.

"What has my mother told you about my father? Why did they separate?"

Mr Yamada studied her through his silver-rimmed spectacles, quite shocked at her question. "Shouldn't you know?"

"Maybe," Sora admitted. "But I feel like I'm missing something. I haven't been told the full picture."

"I don't think I'm the right person for you to ask, Sora," The man replied. "Because this is between you and your mother."

"Can't you tell me?" Sora pleaded. "Where is she? I need to talk to her. Is she still mad at me-"

"Funny that you ask about her like this now because you _never_ do. You always are in your room and don't ever make the effort to talk to her," Mr Yamada scoffed. "Nevertheless, right now it's impossible for you to see her since she's in Hakone. She claimed to want a last minute vacation and won't be back 'til Friday."

"_Hakone_?"

For as long as Sora knew her mother, she was never the type to leave Odaiba. Even as a child she rarely enjoyed going out of their hometown to explore new places and areas. For her mother to leave Tokyo and go to the hot springs in Hakone was something Sora would have never expected.

"That's right." Mr Yamada divulged, "The two of your are similar because whenever you can't cope or face your own problems, you hide out. You make excuses that you need thinking space on your own without bothering to consult with the people around you!"

_Had Sora made her mother feel this way?_

She glanced up at Mr Yamada, and she had found her answer. Perhaps she was similar to her mother after all…

Similar to her mother or not, Mr Yamada had suffered from keeping an eye out for the both of them. They had taken a toll on him. He had been in the centre of their battlefield, not taking sides and genuinely being there for Sora whenever she needed to speak to an adult. And now, well, Mr Yamada looked like a mess.

His shoulders were stooped, hair dishevelled and his white work shirt, wrinkled in every way possible. It didn't suit her mother's partner since he never was scruffy, always maintaining a neat appearance. Mr Yamada seemed to be as much of a wreck as she was. Sora had always known that Mr Yamada deeply cared about her mother, but seeing him now showed Sora that perhaps Mr Yamada liked her mother more than she had given him credit for.

"I'm not asking for much," Mr Yamada told her. "But you really need to sort your problems with your mother. This can't go on forever. She cares about you, Sora."

She bit down onto her bottom lip, hoping that it would put an end to the tears from falling down her face. "I know."

"Good." Mr Yamada patted her on the shoulder, leaving the dining area.

Appetite clearly diminished, Sora pushed the bowl away.

.

* * *

_._

**(a/n) **I was going to insert a Yamato scene at the end of this chp, but decided to save it for the next chapter because it ends well here.

Did you expect this?

I've been hiding this secret since chp one, so it's nice to finally 'let it go', if you catch my drift. There was always a reason why Sora's mother acted the way she has, so expect her (most likely) to have a 'talk' with Sora in the next chp...just to tie lose ends.

Hope you liked this chapter as well :) Thanks for reading.


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